On Sept. 1, 2025, Chinese President Xi Jinping put forward the Global Governance Initiative (GGI) at the "Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Plus" Meeting. How has the initiative progressed over the past year, and how has China's role in global governance changed? 

In this episode of "Diplomacy Talk," we sit down with Ren Hongyan, deputy secretary general of the Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy Studies Centre and vice president of China Institute of International Studies, to unpack the major milestones achieved so far and discuss China's evolving approach to addressing complex global challenges.

Following is the transcript of the interview.

Diplomacy Talk: On the first anniversary of the GGI, how would you assess the overall state of the world today?

Ren Hongyan: President Xi Jinping's observation that the world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century has proven remarkably prescient. Today, those changes are accelerating at an unprecedented pace. We can see that the global economy, politics and security are all in a state of turbulence. This is driven largely by hegemonism, the Cold War mentality and protectionism, which have thrown the world into considerable instability.

At the same time, multipolarity is gaining ground. A new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation is advancing rapidly, and the forces worldwide that pursue peace, prosperity, cooperation and justice are steadily growing. 

Overall, the global political and economic landscape is undergoing major realignment, division and regrouping.

Against this backdrop of turbulence and transformation, effective global governance is urgently needed. 

In recent years, however, the United Nations and multilateralism have regrettably come under strain. Within existing international institutions, the Global South remains severely underrepresented, and governance gaps persist across a number of global challenges and emerging fields. 

As a result, the global governance deficit continues to widen. Global governance now stands at a critical juncture: it must forge ahead against the current, or risk falling behind.

Diplomacy Talk: China proposed the GGI on Sept. 1, 2025. Why was it put forward at this particular moment? Is it a response to real-world crises, or the result of the evolution of China's diplomatic philosophy over time?

Ren Hongyan: Since the dawn of the new era in 2012, under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy, China has conducted major-country diplomacy with its own distinctive features, marked by a global vision, a commitment to upholding fundamental principles while breaking new ground, and a heightened sense of responsibility as a major country.

As I mentioned earlier, global governance has reached a critical juncture, and China has a responsibility to contribute its share. Last year marked the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, a significant milestone. China was the first country to sign the U.N. Charter and has long been a major country actively fulfilling its international responsibilities. I believe it was both timely and natural for China to put forward the GGI at this moment.

Diplomacy Talk: In recent years, China successively put forward the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the Global Security Initiative (GSI), the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI) and the GGI. Why did China build this relatively comprehensive system of initiatives during this particular period?

Ren Hongyan: This reflects China's distinctive methodology of sticking to a problem-oriented approach in both domestic and foreign policy. Problems represent the voice of the times. Whatever acute challenges the world faces, China builds its ideas and solutions around them. This speaks to the contemporary relevance and practical nature of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy.

Since the start of this decade, the COVID-19 pandemic, trade wars and armed conflicts in some regions have gravely hampered human progress. Against this backdrop, China put forward the GDI to give strong impetus to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 

China proposed the GSI in response to geopolitical flashpoints and worsening non-traditional security threats, aiming to bring greater stability to the world. 

It introduced the GCI to help the world move beyond the clash of civilizations, with the goal of enabling the world's diverse civilizations to flourish together in harmony. 

And with the GGI, China now offers its answer to the question of where reform of the global governance system should go.

These four dimensions, development, security, civilization and governance, are interlinked and mutually reinforcing. Together, they cover the major aspects of the common well-being of humanity and move toward building a community with a shared future for humanity.

Diplomacy Talk: If you were to summarize it in the most concise terms, what specific problems is the GGI intended to solve? How does it propose to solve them? And what sets it apart most fundamentally from the Western-dominated model of global governance that has prevailed for so long?

Ren Hongyan: The GGI is designed to address the injustice, irrationality, inadequacy and misalignment in the current global governance system. 

That is to say, the system has failed to keep pace with the shifting balance of international power and the changing nature of real-world challenges. Its underlying philosophy needs to be updated. 

A small number of countries still wield a disproportionate share of influence in global governance. Some areas lack rules altogether, while in others, the implementation of rules is plagued by double standards. The result is that governance outcomes fall short of the needs of people across the world.

How do we solve these problems? The current system is far from perfect, but it is not without its merits. The right approach is to keep pace with the times by innovating, improving, reforming and building on the existing system. Simply dismantling it, starting from scratch and building an entirely new system is neither feasible nor in the common interest of the international community.

What sets the GGI apart is that it shifts global governance away from Western domination and toward a future in which all countries govern together. In practice, that means moving from a system where a few call the shots to one where everyone has an equal say.

Diplomacy Talk: Since the GGI was put forward, how would you assess its progress to date? What are the most noteworthy outcomes?

Ren Hongyan: A year is not a long time, yet the initiative has made greater progress than expected. It has already received the support and endorsement of nearly 160 countries and international organizations. The Group of Friends of Global Governance has been launched successively in New York, Geneva and Vienna, with a membership of more than 60 countries. The initiative is no longer a solo performance by China, but a chorus of the international community.

The GGI is centered on sovereign equality, the international rule of law, multilateralism, a people-centered approach and real action. Guided by these principles, it has built international consensus, established cooperation mechanisms and galvanized momentum for change. These are significant outcomes.

The initiative has driven several other widely noted achievements.

China set out a five-point proposal for reinvigorating the role of the United Nations at the U.N. Security Council High-Level Meeting. Building on the five core principles, China also proposed nine directions for reforming and improving global governance.

China, together with 28 other countries as founding members, established the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization, headquartered in Shanghai. Quite a number of countries have since joined. In addition, the World Data Organization was established in Beijing, and the International Organization for Mediation has been operating smoothly in Hong Kong. These are just a few examples.

The first year of the GGI has been well-organized, with clearly defined priorities and notable results. It has gotten off to a strong start, and what lies ahead is even more promising.

Diplomacy Talk: Judging from the response of the international community, many Global South countries seem to resonate more strongly with the governance philosophy China has put forward. What do you think is the reason behind this?

Ren Hongyan: Global South countries feel the injustice and irrationality of the international system most keenly, so their aspiration for change is even more intense. 

China is, without doubt, a member of the Global South, sharing similar historical experiences, current realities and development tasks with other Global South countries. 

When China put forward the GGI, it was in effect articulating the shared aspirations of the Global South, reflecting their urgent needs and demonstrating their wisdom and strength. That is why it has won broad recognition from Global South countries.

However, many Western countries have also affirmed the initiative. In our exchanges with think tanks, we have heard many Western scholars and experts speak highly of the GGI. After all, countries around the world are interdependent today, and global governance concerns the well-being of all humanity.

The GGI pinpoints the crux of the problem accurately and prescribes a clear, workable course of treatment. In the long run, it serves the interests of all countries, so we are confident that more countries will join it.

Diplomacy Talk: Western narratives tend to put security, values and geopolitical competition front and center. But China has long held that development is the master key to solving all problems. Do you think development has been marginalized in international politics today?

Ren Hongyan: In recent years, development has indeed been crowded out by other issues. Issues that were originally economic, trade-related, technological, or livelihood-oriented have been recast as so-called national security concerns, and some countries have tried to elevate security concerns above development priorities. 

In reality, development and security are not opposites; both matter. Development requires a secure environment, but it is also the foundation of lasting security. Unless poverty, unemployment, the North-South divide and development imbalances are addressed, security measures will only treat the symptoms, not the root causes.

A closer look at elections and domestic politics in the U.S. and European countries reveals that the matters of greatest concern to Western publics are, at their core, development issues: income, employment, health care and the cost of living. 

Some Western politicians play up so-called security threats abroad because they want to use security as a pretext to compete for markets, grab resources and steal the development gains of others.

I think the vast majority of countries are not fooled by these Western narratives. In the five years since China put forward the GDI, nearly 100 countries and international and regional organizations have signed cooperation documents with China on the initiative. The consensus on prioritizing development has taken deep root, development partnerships have gathered momentum and development cooperation has yielded results. 

This shows that, while some have deliberately sought to marginalize development, they are increasingly unable to set the international agenda. The majority of countries still treat development as the top priority.

Diplomacy Talk: AI is developing by leaps and bounds, transforming every aspect of our world, from security and the economy to society and state capacity. Do you think AI governance will become the most contested area of global governance in the years ahead?

Ren Hongyan: AI governance is a subject of wide concern. The ethical dangers, cybersecurity threats and the risk of AI slipping beyond human control are common challenges facing all of humanity, and cooperation is a practical imperative for all countries. From this perspective, AI governance is likely to become an important area for cooperation among nations.

Not long ago, there was an incident in the U.S. involving an AI agent acting on its own. Later, an investigation into the incident was carried out with the help of an open-source model from a Chinese company. 

This shows how necessary it is for countries to work together to strengthen relevant global governance in the face of new kinds of cyber risks.

In this regard, China calls for practicing true multilateralism, giving full play to the central role of the United Nations, and promoting coordination among countries to build an AI governance framework based on broad international consensus.

Diplomacy Talk: Since reform and opening up began in 1978, China has gradually integrated into the international system. It is providing an increasing number of international public goods, including governance initiatives. Do you believe China's role in global governance has fundamentally changed?

Ren Hongyan: I would say the change is there for all to see. China has developed by integrating into the international system, and it remains firmly committed to using its own development to make that system more effective and better structured. This is also what the rest of the world expects of China. 

Since the beginning of the new era, President Xi Jinping has stressed that China's diplomacy must reflect the responsibility that comes with being a major country, keeping in mind the future of humanity and the well-being of the people, and contributing Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions to the cause of peace and development.

Over the past decade and more, President Xi has put forward a series of new concepts, propositions and initiatives, including building a community with a shared future for humanity, the Belt and Road Initiative, a new type of international relations, the common values of humanity, the vision of global governance based on extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, the four global initiatives, an equal and orderly multipolar world, and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization. 

These have guided China's commitment to build world peace, advance global development, defend the international order and deliver public goods. The country is playing a greater leading role in international affairs and has won wide acclaim from the international community.

Diplomacy Talk: Some say that while the GGI emphasizes equality, multilateralism and joint consultation, real-world international politics is still determined by power. The law of the jungle, bloc confrontation and horse-trading have not disappeared, so they argue that the initiative is overly idealistic. Do you think there is any validity to this criticism?

Ren Hongyan: I would say the future is worth pursuing precisely because it can be better than the present. If humanity had always resigned itself to the status quo and done nothing, would we have the progress of civilization we see today? 

What's more, the GGI is not only about ideals; it is also firmly grounded in reality. It offers both a guiding vision and a practical pathway, and it is entirely achievable if we work at it.

It is true that a few countries still cling to the law of the jungle. But in recent years, the notion that might makes right has been exposed as false time and again, because it runs counter to the trend of the times and the will of the people. 

As the times advance and people awaken, "governance by exclusive blocs," hegemonism and power politics are losing ground and finding fewer takers.

Diplomacy Talk: Some in the West suggest that although China criticizes hegemonism today, other countries worry that it will become a new hegemon as its power grows. How should China address these deep-seated concerns?

Ren Hongyan: The West's conclusion from history is that a strong country is bound to seek hegemony. China's lesson from history is that hegemony contains the seeds of its own downfall. 

As early as in the 1970s, Deng Xiaoping told the U.N. that if one day China should play the tyrant in the world, the people of the world should oppose it and work together with the Chinese people to overthrow it. 

President Xi Jinping has also said on many occasions that "however strong it may grow, China will never seek hegemony, expansion or a sphere of influence."

These Western "concerns" are not genuine. They are nothing more than groundless, malicious speculation and hype aimed at containing China's development, driving a wedge between China and other developing countries, and preserving the West's own dominant position.

In fact, many leaders from developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America have publicly rejected this Western narrative. They speak from their own experience, and that is the most powerful testimony. 

I recall a leader of a major African country telling the U.N. General Assembly that although the West repeatedly claims rising powers inevitably seek hegemony, Chinese modernization has broken free from the old logic of great-power rivalry.

Having lived under colonial and hegemonic rule, African countries know that hegemony is about plunder, whereas China's cooperation with Africa and the Global South is based on mutual benefit and win-win outcomes. Developing countries are not so easily fooled by the Western narrative.

Diplomacy Talk: A year on from the GGI's launch, if you are asked to sum up its historical significance in a single sentence, what would you say?

Ren Hongyan: The GGI is in keeping with the trend of the times toward a multipolar world and greater democracy in international relations, and it reflects the interests and aspirations of the vast majority of countries. At a critical juncture, it has provided the support and momentum to steady global governance and move it forward. It has also charted the right course for reform of the global governance system. Thus, it is a major international public good that China has contributed to the world.

Presenter: Xu Rong

Production supervisor: Li Xiaohua

Co-production supervisor: Zhang Liying

Editors: Zhang Heling, Jiao Yuan, Xia Fangting

Produced by chinadiplomacy.org.cn