Xu Qinhua: China is Leading in International Sustainable Development and Cooperation

In the white paper China’s International Development and Cooperation in the New Era released on January 10, 2021, the State Council Information Office has offered the world a comprehensive and systemic illustration of China’s new concepts, progress and practices in international development and cooperation in the new era. China, as a pivotal participant and contributor in this aspect, is leading the world in international cooperation, especially in the field of sustainable development. On the occasion of the centennial anniversary of the founding of CPC, the white paper acts as a bridge linking the past and future with a review of previous accomplishments and an outlook for future ambitions.

The concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind, which has been fully implemented in China’s development and cooperation on the global arena, holds the key to China’s leadership in international sustainable development. The current world is mired in severe deficits of development, trust and governance. Against such a backdrop, the objective of building a community with a shared future for mankind is of diplomatic significance for a major country like China. It also serves as a guideline for China’s international development and cooperation, instilling more nourishment into China’s philosophy in this aspect. China’s development relies on the world, and vice versa. China remains an important contributor and constructor of global development and the shared community. With this goal in mind, China has assisted in building a clean and beautiful world of lasting peace, universal security, common prosperity, openness and inclusiveness, strengthen mutual learning and help, enhancing people-to-people ties, providing more public goods to the whole international community and contributing to a more solid ideological foundation for universal benefits and shared development for all. As pointed out in the white paper, looking forward into the future, the world needs, above all, a more harmonious, inclusive and sustainable community with a shared future for mankind.

One core reason for China’s leadership in sustainable development and cooperation lies in its devotion to contributing China’s wisdom to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The agenda serves as a guideline for global development and cooperation. Ever since its adoption, it has received active response and enthusiasm in the international community. However, on the current trends, there’s still a large gap for the agenda to be delivered by 2030. In the coming fewer than 10 years, it’s of even greater urgency and concern to influence, manage and guide the items on the agenda. The white paper lays a strong emphasis on fulfilling the agenda by enhancing cooperation with the UN and third parties to facilitate high-quality international development and development. China pays attention to coordinating the benefits of environment, economy and society with sustainable development as the guide and coordinator in responding to the global issues such as climate change and resources depletion. In addition, the UN agenda is in high compliance with the objective of “Belt and Road” initiative. China advocates for the initiative to dock with the UN agenda so as to advance the common and premium development of Belt and Road countries while scaling up assistance to other developing countries.

Guided by the determination to help developing countries with their endogenous capacity building, China is running ahead in its international sustainable development and cooperation. As the largest developing country in the world, China stays committed to promoting common development with the rest of the developing world. To meet new requirements for managing deficits, capacity building has become a critical trend in development and is receiving close attention at the policy level. Development and governance capacity remain the key to addressing many development issues. At present, developing countries are still falling short of the requirement of the trend and times in their investment in capacity building. Global development capacity building needs stress on endogeneity; international cooperation and aid should aim at “teaching others how to fish”. Measures like promoting south-south cooperation and development, enhancing governance in view of building a shared community help strengthen the foundation for tiding over global issues and internal drive for continuous progress in international development and cooperation. While helping others countries with their capacity building, China has also focused on improving its own “blood generation” ability, helped in narrowing the south-north gap in development capacity for common development, and taken substantive steps to improve its development and governance capacity. Through such pragmatic measures, China has constantly advanced the transformation and upgrade of international development and cooperation and displayed its diplomatic image as a responsible major country with the vision of creating an even better world for all.

Led by UN and guided by its 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, China will continue to learn from other countries and pay closer attention to new-type infrastructure construction in international development and cooperation particularly in fields like energy resources, transportation, communication and environment protection, so as to lay a solid foundation for low-carbon, green and high-quality development of developing countries. With larger investments in public health, agriculture, climate change and areas relating to people’s livelihood, international development and cooperation is set to produce more beneficial and sustainable fruits for all. These will be the top priority of our future efforts in international development and cooperation.

Xu Qinhua, Deputy Dean of National Academy of Development and Strategy, Professor of School of International Studies, Renmin University of China