UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 24 — The global commitment to shared development has been buttressed at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York, as a high-level meeting brought decision-makers together to foster greater consensus and synergy for development.
On Tuesday, Chinese Premier Li Qiang warned of rising unilateralism and protectionism, strained international cooperation on development, and weaker drivers for global economic growth at a high-level meeting on the Global Development Initiative (GDI) held by China.
“To solve the many problems we now face, we must remain committed to development, dedicate all our efforts to it and work together to make the pie bigger,” he said.
To reinvigorate global development and advance the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at a faster pace, the Chinese premier raised a four-pronged proposal, as well as concrete and proactive actions to increase input in global development and empower the cause through green transition and technological cooperation.
Notably, in trade, an area that plays a decisive role in promoting shared development, there is insufficient support for developing countries’ greater integration into the global trading system.
Li pledged that China will continue to provide funds to the World Trade Organization (WTO) to help least developed countries integrate into the global trading system.
Meanwhile, he announced that China will not seek new special and differential treatment available to developing countries in current and future negotiations at the WTO, a positive move widely seen as facilitating in-depth WTO reform to effectively address the challenges facing global trade.
Expressing her appreciation for Li’s announcement, WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said on social media platform X: “This is a culmination of many years of hard work and I want to applaud China’s leadership on this issue!” This highlight was also referred to in Li’s talks with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker in two bilateral meetings on Tuesday.
In the separate meetings, Li stressed promoting free trade, supporting WTO reform and development, and building an open world economy.
The Chinese premier is in New York to attend the general debate of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly from Sept. 22 to 26.
At the high-level meeting, Li depicted the Global Development Initiative (GDI), put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the UN General Assembly in 2021, as a widely popular global public good.
To date, over 130 countries and international organizations have taken part in the implementation of the GDI, Li said, adding that the initiative has mobilized over 23 billion U.S. dollars to support the development and invigoration of the Global South in the past four years.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at the meeting that the GDI “can be an important mechanism to help accelerate progress on the 2030 Agenda around the world.”
“Its alignment with the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) — especially poverty eradication, food security, climate action, and inclusive, equitable growth — addresses the development challenges of our time,” Guterres said.
“As the United Nations marks its 80th anniversary, we are reminded that it remains indispensable as the anchor of global cooperation for peace and sustainable development,” UN Under-Secretary-General Li Junhua told Xinhua.
The GDI “offers opportunities for developing countries, and contributes towards UN-led efforts to foster greener, fairer, and more resilient development pathways,” the under-secretary-general said.
The premier also announced China’s plan to implement another 2,000 “small and beautiful” livelihood projects in developing countries in the next five years, and put forward a new AI+ International Cooperation Initiative, among others.
The AI+ International Cooperation Initiative urges promotional efforts to deeply integrate Artificial Intelligence into the economic and social development to benefit all countries, including the Global South.
Attendees of the meeting spoke highly of the fruitful outcomes of cooperation under the GDI, and expressed support for the four major global initiatives and the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by Xi.
“China has leveraged its strengths in resources, infrastructure and technology to support modernization and reduce global inequalities,” Somadoda Fikeni, an international relations expert and chairperson of South Africa’s Public Service Commission, recently told Xinhua.
The GDI, together with the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative and the Global Governance Initiative, “demonstrate leadership, foresight, and a willingness to take responsibility for shaping a multipolar world,” Fikeni said. (Xinhua)
