The destiny of the world must be in the hands of all peoples

"Working together to take the future and destiny of mankind into our own hands" is part of General Secretary Xi Jinping's speech at the closing ceremony of the Sino-French Global Governance Forum held in Paris, France, on March 26, 2019, and is included in the second volume of Selected Readings of Xi Jinping's Works. From a strategic and overall perspective, this important document systematically grasps the global challenges facing human development, emphasizes that all countries should have the courage to take responsibility and strengthen cooperation, and provides important guidelines for the international community to effectively respond to global challenges.

He stressed that global challenges need to be addressed by all countries

Today's world is undergoing major changes unseen in a century, and countries around the world are increasingly becoming a community with a shared future that shares weal and woe. Around the world, the changes in the world, the times, and history are unfolding in unprecedented ways, and many of the problems and challenges we are facing today are of a global nature and therefore require global solutions.

In March 2013, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out in a speech at the Moscow Institute of International Relations in Russia: "The destiny of the world must be jointly controlled by the people of all countries. In January 2017, General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered an important speech on "Building a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind" at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva, emphasizing that "all countries should work together in the same boat, rather than beggar-thy-neighbor". In March 2019, at the closing ceremony of the Sino-French Forum on Global Governance, General Secretary Xi Jinping once again emphasized the need to "work together to take the future and destiny of mankind into our own hands". From 2021 to 2023, General Secretary Xi Jinping successively proposed the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative. As an organic whole, the three global initiatives have contributed China's wisdom and solutions to jointly address global challenges. These important expositions and measures are in the same line, focusing on the major issues of the times of "what kind of world to build and how to build this world", and focus on the profound exposition of the future and destiny of mankind: under the current international situation, all countries should take joint actions and respond to common challenges.

Systematically grasp the global challenges facing human development

How do we view the current complex international situation? General Secretary Xi Jinping has conducted an in-depth analysis with a comprehensive, dialectical, and long-term vision. On the one hand, "peace and development remain the theme of the times", and the trend of the times of peace, development, cooperation and win-win results is unstoppable. On the other hand, the "instability and uncertainty" of development have become more prominent, and the irrational international order dominated by the West and the various contradictions caused by it have not been rationally resolved, making various global problems intertwined and superimposed on each other, evolving into common challenges facing all mankind.

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that global development is facing "four major deficits": First, the "governance deficit", global hotspot issues continue to rise and fall, climate change, cybersecurity, refugee crisis and other non-traditional security threats continue to spread, protectionism and unilateralism are on the rise, and the global governance system and multilateral mechanisms are impacted. The second is the "trust deficit", with international competition and friction on the rise, the color of geopolitical games has been significantly aggravated, and the trust and cooperation of the international community have been eroded. Third, there is a "peace deficit"; the security environment in which mankind finds itself today is still worrisome, regional conflicts and local wars are continuing, terrorism is still rampant, and the people of many countries, especially children, have been devastated by war. Fourth, the "development deficit", the trend of anti-globalization is fermenting, the negative effects of protectionism are becoming increasingly apparent, and the inequality of income distribution and the imbalance of development space have become the most prominent problems facing global economic governance. The "four major deficits" are a profound summary of global challenges, and an important basis for us to pay close attention to the international situation and effectively guard against various risks.

It will chart the course for the international community to effectively respond to global challenges

In order to address the global challenges brought about by the governance deficit, trust deficit, peace deficit and development deficit, General Secretary Xi Jinping put forward the four concepts of fairness and reasonableness, mutual consultation and understanding, solidarity and mutual benefit, and called on all countries to join hands and take positive actions to jointly address the challenges.

First, to solve the "governance deficit", we must adhere to fairness and rationality and improve the global governance system. This important assertion is not only a profound insight into the current situation of global governance, but also a clear guide for solving global governance problems. Only by upholding fairness and rationality can we ensure the equal status and rights of all countries in international affairs. In this regard, General Secretary Xi Jinping reiterated his position in support of multilateralism: "We must continue to hold high the banner of multilateralism of the United Nations, give full play to the constructive role of global and regional multilateral mechanisms such as the World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the G20 and the European Union, and jointly promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind." ”

Second, to solve the "trust deficit", we must adhere to mutual consultation and understanding, and enhance dialogue and consultation among countries. Trust is the foundation for peaceful coexistence between countries, and mutual consultation and understanding are effective ways to build trust. Through mutual consultation and understanding, countries can better understand each other's positions and concerns and enhance mutual understanding. Specifically, all countries should adhere to the correct concept of justice and shared interests, "put justice first, take justice and interests into account, and build a global partnership with a shared future", uphold the civilization concept of equality, mutual learning, dialogue and inclusiveness, and "strengthen exchanges and dialogues among civilizations, deepen mutual understanding and recognition, and let the people of all countries know each other, trust and respect each other".

Third, to solve the "peace deficit", we must persist in working together to create a safe and stable international environment. Maintaining peace is the common cause of mankind and requires the joint efforts of the people of all countries in the world. General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed that "we should uphold a new vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security". We should abandon the old mentality of the Cold War mentality and zero-sum game, abandon the law of the jungle, persist in settling disputes through peaceful means, oppose beggar-thy-neighbor and self-interest, and work together to follow the path of peaceful development and achieve lasting world peace.

Finally, to solve the "development deficit", we must adhere to mutual benefit and win-win results, and share development opportunities. Development was the right of all countries in the world, not the preserve of a few. In recent years, economic globalization has encountered headwinds, and some countries want to implement "decoupling and breaking chains" and build "small courtyards and high walls". These practices have proven to be short-sighted and dangerous, and will only hinder the healthy development of the global economy. General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed that "we must adhere to innovation-driven and create a dynamic growth model, adhere to synergy and linkage to create an open and win-win cooperation model, and adhere to fairness and inclusiveness to create a balanced and inclusive development model." In order to guide the healthy development of economic globalization and allow people around the world to share the fruits of economic globalization, we have actively provided Chinese solutions and contributed Chinese wisdom, including promoting the necessary reform of the World Trade Organization and jointly building the Belt and Road Initiative, so as to help world economic growth and achieve common development.