True multilateralism indispensable for addressing global governance challenges

BEIJING, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- The future of mankind is overshadowed by uncertainties caused by a series of global challenges and a truly multilateral approach is essential to addressing those crises, argued experts and officials worldwide.

To solve global problems including the COVID-19 pandemic, sluggish economic recovery, intensified geopolitical confrontation, escalating food and energy insecurity and accelerating climate change, collective and concerted efforts by all nations are urgently needed.

The global governance system has failed to heed calls from the developing world that suffer the most from the crises. Practicing true multilateralism, China has presented proposals that are open, inclusive and fair to galvanize support for common development, they said.

MULTILATERAL SOLUTIONS NEEDED

In an interconnected world, countries influence each other, and a crisis in one state or a decision made by one government may have a spillover effect worldwide.

In the meantime, no country can stand alone in tackling global challenges. Experts and officials argued that collective and multilateral efforts made by all nations are particularly necessary.

The world today faces both geopolitical conflicts and difficulties rarely seen in history, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and the fate of countries around the world is linked, said former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama in a recent interview with Xinhua.

Therefore, it is very important to have an overall view of a human community with a shared future, said Hatoyama.

A multilateral approach is becoming increasingly important for building global consensus, promoting international cooperation, and giving confidence and hope to the people facing uncertainties, said Gulru Gezer, a foreign policy analyst and a former diplomat of Türkiye.

"A holistic approach, of course, is required to address these global challenges within an effective response because all of these challenges cannot be tackled by a single state or only a set of countries. So it really requires a global effort," Gezer added.

French international affairs expert Bruno Guigue has described multilateralism as a "lifeline" for the world riddled with uncertainties.

Among the global challenges confronting humankind, accelerating climate change is the most typical one and multilateral cooperation by all nations is the only way to save our common home, the Earth.

"Humanity has a choice: cooperate or perish," warned United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the Sharm El-Sheikh Climate Implementation Summit in Egypt, citing the growing irreversible climate chaos.

GLOBAL GOVERNANCE REFORM

The global governance system is suffering setbacks. The multilateral institutions established mainly by Western countries have failed to pay enough attention to voices from developing countries that account for the majority of the world population.

The developed countries, in times of crisis, even pursued their own interests at the cost of those poverty-stricken and vulnerable people.

At the ongoing 27th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, representatives from developing countries reproached some European countries for reopening less efficient, more polluting energy facilities to cope with their energy crisis.

They argued that such action would deteriorate global climate conditions and leave those in developing nations who are most prone to extreme climate events in misery.

Moreover, the spirit of multilateralism is also at risk, as the United States imposed unilateral sanctions on countries including Russia, Iran and Cuba, and trumpeted trade protectionism and irresponsible decoupling theories.

"Today's multilateralism is nothing but a disappointing front," said Adel Mehany, professor of international economy in Egypt, adding that a multilateralism that gives some countries the power to hegemonize the world is not real multilateralism.

His opinion was echoed by Guigue, who warned against the "false multilateralism" imposed by the United States through its irresponsible meddling in other countries' internal affairs.

"International cooperation only bears fruit if the main powers apply the principles defined by the Charter of the United Nations and do not seek to impose their hegemony," he said.

TRUE MULTILATERALISM

China advocates common prosperity, and its development has significantly contributed to growth worldwide.

Seeking to promote global development and improve global governance, it has put forward a slew of proposals including the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the Global Development Initiative (GDI) and the Global Security Initiative (GSI).

Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, secretary for external relations of the ZANU-PF politburo of Zimbabwe, welcomed the GDI as it envisions a shared future instead of a selfish one, "one which is shared by all countries of the world, rich or poor."

Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, spokesperson for the Pakistani Foreign Ministry, hailed the GSI as "carrying a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security. The initiative is a timely call to action."

In the past decade, China has been actively involved in global governance reforms with an emphasis on upholding the international system with the United Nations at the core. This has demonstrated the country's responsibility as a major country, and its contribution to world peace and development.

Experts from various countries also lauded China's efforts in promoting the democratization of international relations and making global governance fairer and more equitable.

Gezer, the Turkish foreign policy analyst, said China is setting an example for the world in promoting peaceful cooperation with other countries by safeguarding and advocating true multilateralism.

"China especially underlines the notion of inclusiveness and connectivity where everyone is equal, and the decisions are taking on a consensus-based mechanism, and where cooperation leads to better understanding and a win-win situation," Gezer said.