By He Yin, People’s Daily
The Global Development Initiative (GDI) has received prompt response and support from the U.N. and nearly 100 countries since being proposed by China last September.
As COVID-19 severely impacts the process of global development, China is leading the international society to focus on and promote development, as well as calling on the world to jointly build a global community of developers with a shared future. It exemplifies the wisdom and sense of responsibility of a major country at this critical historical juncture.
As a Chinese saying goes, “A man of wisdom adapts to changes; a man of knowledge acts by circumstances.” The GDI’s wide and prompt response stems from the fact that it addresses the common concerns of the international society and the people around the world.
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread in the world, and the Human Development Index experienced the first drop in 30 years. As a result of the pandemic, about 100 million additional people are living in poverty, and over 800 million are suffering from hunger.
World development is getting even more unequal and unbalanced, necessitating urgent action by international society to narrow the development gap.
As another major initiative proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping after the Belt and Road Initiative, the GDI “remobilizes” the world for global development cooperation and “reconfirms” the people-centered approach to human rights. It has mapped out a strategy for narrowing the North-South gap and addressing development imbalance and has thereby given a boost to fulfilling the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The GDI has become tremendously attractive because of China’s successful practice. Since the country initiated reform and opened up in 1978, it has always taken economic development as a major task and achieved remarkable progress.
The country adheres to a people-centered development philosophy and is constantly enhancing Chinese people’s sense of happiness, fulfillment, and security. Pursuing high-quality economic development, it also follows a new development concept featuring innovative, coordinated, green, open, and shared growth. The country has eliminated poverty and built a moderately prosperous society in all respects as scheduled, which has further made it a successful example for the rest of the world.
Prioritizing development and centering on the people, the GDI is committed to inclusive and innovation-driven growth, harmonious man-nature coexistence, and results-oriented actions. It carries distinctive Chinese characteristics.
Siddharth Chatterjee, the U.N. Resident Coordinator in China, said the initiative explains to the world China’s successful experience in building a moderately prosperous society. He believes China will make global development much more inclusive and balanced.
China’s broad-minded perspective has made the GDI widely appealing. China always believes that true development is development for all, and all countries should join, contribute to and benefit from global development. It’s not right that only one country enjoys development while the rest can’t, or a group of countries makes progress while other groups don’t.
Since the GDI was proposed, it has been a public product that’s open to the world. It aims at accelerating the implementation of the U.N.’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, advancing the common development of the world, and making global development more balanced, coordinated, and inclusive.
On multiple bilateral and multilateral occasions, President Xi has expressed the hope that all relevant parties can join the GDI, and he has received active responses. At Session I of the 16th G20 Leaders’ Summit, he said this initiative is highly compatible with the G20’s goal and priority of promoting global development. He also said that the initiative has much to contribute to ASEAN countries’ efforts to meet their development needs and can be mutually reinforcing with ASEAN Community Vision 2025 while delivering a speech at a special summit to commemorate the 30th anniversary of China-ASEAN dialogue relations.
China’s practical actions are making the GDI well implemented. What makes an initiative vital is its implementation. Since proposing the GDI, China has been adhering to “results-oriented” actions. It encourages the world to prioritize cooperation in areas such as poverty alleviation, food security, COVID-19 response and vaccines, development financing, climate change, green development, industrialization, digital economy, and connectivity, among other areas.
The Group of Friends of the GDI was launched in January this year and will focus its work on strengthening policy dialogue, sharing best practices, and promoting practical cooperation. It is expected to inject important impetus into the implementation of the GDI.
At bilateral and multilateral levels, China is proactively aligning the GDI with the development strategies of relevant countries and regions. So far, the initiative has been docked with the Pacific Roadmap for sustainable development and the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent by Pacific island countries. African countries also synergized the GDI with the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
Development bears on the hopes and the very survival of the peoples of all countries. It embodies the expression of their dignity and their rights. Facing challenges, mankind must hold tight the key of development.
China is willing to work with all parties and actively implement the GDI to ensure that no country or individual is left behind and no aspiration is overlooked. It will make new contributions to building a world of common prosperity and building a global community with a shared future for mankind.
