中文
By Maya Majueran
Lead: Western leaders must heed Chinese Premier Li Qiang's G20 warning that economic fragmentation is a collective march toward decline. Survival depends on rejecting isolationism in favor of urgent and renewed global cooperation.
The recent G20 summit in Johannesburg was more than another routine gathering of global leaders. It was a stark diagnosis of a world economy in distress and a warning that the current trajectory toward fragmentation is unsustainable. The core message articulated with clarity by Chinese Premier Li Qiang is one the West can no longer afford to dismiss: today's drift toward economic isolationism is a collective march toward decline.
For too long, short-term political theatrics and zero-sum geopolitics have masqueraded as economic strategy. Tariffs, weaponized trade and the erosion of multilateral institutions are not symbols of strength. They are signs of a profound failure of leadership. Premier Li's call for solidarity, open trade and institutional renewal was not simply China's position; it was an acknowledgment of shared economic realities that no country, East or West, can escape.
The world stands at a pivotal moment, seduced by the rhetoric of absolute sovereignty. From Brexit to "America First," a dangerous illusion has spread that nations can thrive by sealing themselves off from the world. This is fiction. The 2008 financial crisis proved unmistakably that global destinies are interconnected; the pandemic deepened that lesson. When supply chains buckle, they buckle globally. When protectionism fuels inflation, every household pays the price. The idea that a major economy can retreat behind its borders and still prosper is a myth — one that forgets the central driver of postwar prosperity: cooperation, not isolation.
The G20 itself was founded on the recognition that major economies are bound by shared risks and shared responsibilities. Its coordinated intervention during the 2008 crisis did more than stabilize markets; it prevented what could have become a second Great Depression. That success was no accident. It reflected a hard-earned understanding that interdependence, when managed wisely, is a source of resilience rather than fragility.
Yet the challenges confronting the global community today are far more complex. Climate change is accelerating, with extreme weather crippling food systems, displacing populations and imposing staggering costs. Developing nations are sinking deeper into unsustainable debt, exacerbated by rising interest rates and sluggish global growth, threatening not only their stability but also the health of the international financial system. Meanwhile, the rapid advance of artificial intelligence is reshaping labor markets and security dynamics in ways no country is prepared for. Left unmanaged, these forces could widen inequality, destabilize societies and recalibrate global power in unpredictable ways.
None of these existential issues respect borders, nor can they be resolved through unilateral measures or cozy alliances of the "like-minded." Climate shocks do not pause at customs checkpoints; financial contagion does not recognize sovereignty; technological disruption does not wait for legislation. The notion that any nation or even a bloc can confront these challenges alone is not merely misguided. It is reckless.
What the moment demands is renewed multilateral cooperation: transparent dialogue, fairer burden-sharing and a willingness to reform outdated institutions. Without this, the international community will find itself navigating a storm with no compass.
One of Premier Li's most consequential points — often sidestepped by Western powers — is the necessity of meaningful global governance reform. Institutions such as the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and World Trade Organization were designed for a world that no longer exists. Their governance structures disproportionately favor Western powers, leaving emerging and developing economies underrepresented despite bearing an ever-growing share of global economic weight. In a multipolar world, such imbalances are untenable.
Reforming these institutions is not a concession to China, nor a loss for the West. It is essential for maintaining their relevance. Systems that do not reflect the realities of their members will be abandoned in favor of new coalitions and alternative frameworks.
Li also underscored China's introduction of a comprehensive action plan to advance the G20 Initiative on Supporting Industrialization in Africa and the Least Developed Countries. This reflects China's broader commitment to ensuring that the fruits of development are accessible to all nations — not only those already privileged by historical advantage.
Indeed, the strongest argument for cooperation is not philosophical but practical. The growing divide between developed and developing nations is becoming a breeding ground for instability. As the G20 hesitates, inequality widens, fueling migration crises, political unrest and security threats that inevitably spill across borders. China's initiatives on debt relief for developing countries and African modernization are not mere gestures of goodwill; they are a pragmatic recognition that shared prosperity is the foundation of global security. This is a lesson traditional powers appear increasingly unwilling or unable to grasp.
The Johannesburg summit was, at its core, a wake-up call. The G20 must now decide whether it will remain a platform for coordinated action or devolve into a monument to missed opportunities. The path of fragmentation is well traveled, and history shows where it leads: conflict, recession and prolonged uncertainty. The path of cooperation, though demanding diplomacy and compromise, is the only route to resilience and shared prosperity.
The U.S. absence from the summit this year and its attitude toward global cooperation have been much discussed. Now that it will host the 2026 G20 summit, expected to be held at President Donald Trump's golf course in Florida, it can still contribute to renewed global solidarity by building on the success of previous G20 summits.
The era of lofty declarations without follow-through must come to an end. The world needs concrete action: reducing trade barriers, modernizing global governance and honoring commitments to sustainable development and debt relief. The G20 must choose cooperation — not because China advocates it, but because the alternative is a future defined by preventable crises and diminished fortunes for all.
Maya Majueran is the founding director of the Belt and Road Initiative Sri Lanka (BRISL), a pioneering organization dedicated to research, dialogue and engagement on China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Alongside his leadership role, Maya is a researcher and commentator on international relations, economics, and geopolitics, with a particular focus on the evolving role of Asia and the Global South in world affairs.
