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To Build a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind the Right Way to Solve the Problems of Today’s World
Consul General's Interpretation of Xi Jinping's Thought on Diplomacy I
2021-12-04 01:46

Consul General of China in Kota Kinabalu Liang Caide


The earth is our common home.  Human beings live in the same global village and has increasingly emerged as an intimate community of shared future.  However, the world today is facing major changes unseen in a century, and it is full of many uncertainties.  People look forward to the future but at the same time feel confused about it.  A small number of countries engage in unilateralism, protectionism, and hegemonism, posing threats to world peace and development.  New security issues such as terrorism, climate change, and internet security have emerged one after another.  The sudden COVID-19 pandemic has caused severe damage to the economy and people's livelihood of all countries.  The international community is facing unprecedented challenges and tests, and mankind is once again standing at a crossroads.  What kind of world to build?  How to build this world?  Cooperation or confrontation?  Openness and isolation?  Mutual benefits or Zero-sum game?  The answers of these questions are not only related to the interests of all countries, but also to the future of mankind.

The Chinese nation has always emphasized harmony but difference, concerted effort and mutual cooperation, advocating the good vision of “The world belongs to all”.  With the responsibility and foresight of a politician and strategist, Chinese President Xi Jinping accurately grasps the laws of world development, deeply ponders the future and destiny of mankind, and put forward the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind, with the purpose of maintaining world peace and promoting common development.

Building a community with a shared future for mankind is the core principle of Xi Jinping’s thought on diplomacy.  It is not only the Chinese solution to the “questions of the times” facing the world today, but also a righteous way that brings benefits to the people of the world.  It embodies China's global vision and perspective, as well as the spirit of a major country ready to shoulder its responsibility that link its own development with the development of the world.

1. What is the connotation of building a community with a shared future for mankind

The community with a shared future for mankind, as the word suggests, is that the future and destiny of each nation and country are closely connected.  Everyone should pull together for a common cause, share weal and woe, and strive to build this planet into a harmonious big family, making the wish for a better life of people all over the world into reality.

Although different countries have different histories, cultures, and systems, they should all live in harmony and treat each other as equals.  They should respect and learn from each other, and abandon all arrogance and prejudice.  All countries should transcend national, ethnical, cultural, and ideological boundaries, adhere to the common values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy, and freedom for all mankind, in building a community with a shared future as to achieve win-win, shared benefits and common development.

Facing the endless global problems and challenges, all countries in the world need to work together and coordinate their actions in a responsible attitude.  No country can stand alone.  The sudden outbreak of the COVID-19 warned the world that we live in a interconnected global village with shared future.  And therefore, unity and cooperation are the sure way as mankind is a community of common destiny.  Any practice of selfishness, blaming others, and reversing true and false will not only cause harm to the country and its people, but also to the people of all countries in the world.  The Cold War mentality and faction confrontation no longer meet the requirements of the era.

President Xi Jinping pointed out that no country could meet the challenges for mankind alone, and retreat to a self-enclosed island.  As long as the international community upholds the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind, adheres to multilateralism, and follows the path of solidarity and cooperation, people of all countries will be able to work together to deal with various global issues and jointly build a better home planet.

President Xi Jinping also expounded the rich content of the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind on major international occasions, proposing to build an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security, and common prosperity.  At the global governance level, initiatives to build a community with a shared future in the dimensions of cyberspace, nuclear safety, common health, life and nature, and maritime have been proposed.  At the regional level, initiatives to build a community with a shared future with China’s neighbors, Asian, Asia-Pacific, ASEAN, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Africa, Arab States and Latin-America have been put forward.  At the bilateral level, in-depth communication with the leaders of many countries, including Malaysia, have been carried out, to achieve consensus and advocate in building a community with a shared future with all relevant countries.

The concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind has been written into multilateral resolutions or declarations of the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization many times.  It has been widely recognized by the international community and is gradually becoming a global consensus.  It can be said that all countries and international organizations that do not have political prejudices accept this concept.

2. How to build a community with a shared future for mankind

To build a community with a shared future for mankind, we must first follow a series of universally recognized norms for international relations.

First, we must uphold sovereign equality, dialogue and coordination.  Sovereign equality is the most important criterion for regulating the relationship between states for hundreds of years.  All countries, whether of big or small, strong or weak, rich or poor, are equal.  The right of people of all countries to choose their own development path should be respected, and interference in the internal affairs of other countries should be opposed.  Dialogue and consultation are effective strategies for resolving differences, that all countries should respect each other, negotiate on an equal footing, resolutely abandon the Cold War mentality and power politics, and refrain from hegemony of supremacy and coercion.  No country can launch a war at will, nor can it undermine the international rule of law.

Second, we must persist in joint contribution, shared benefits and win-win cooperation.  Economic globalization is a leading historical trend.  All countries should adhere to the concept of mutual benefits, promote an open, inclusive, balanced, and win-win economic globalization.  All countries in the world jointly advance the development and gain from the results, so that everyone could enjoy prosperity and well-being.  Only when all countries develop together can the world develop better.  The practice of harming others for self-interest is neither ethical nor sustainable.

Third, we must persist in openness, tolerance, exchanges and mutual learning.  A Chinese saying goes, “the sea admits hundreds of rivers for its capacity to hold, a person is great when he can be tolerant and forgiving to others”.  The prosperity of civilization and the progress of mankind cannot do without openness, tolerance, exchanges, and mutual learning.  Different civilizations should coexist in harmony and complement each other as to provide spiritual strength for human development.

3. Constructing a new type of international relations is the prerequisite and path for building a community with a shared future for mankind

In the complex and changing international relations, how countries should get along, what rules should be followed, and what kind of international relations should be constructed have always been important issues in the history of modern international relations.

While advocating the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind, President Xi Jinping pioneered the building of a new type of international relations featuring mutual respect, fairness, justice, and win-win cooperation.  Building a community with a shared future for mankind is the goal and direction, and building a new type of international relations is the prerequisite and path.  It is a new path for state-to-state exchanges that leads to and creates conditions for building a community with a shared future for mankind.

To build a new type of international relations means that all countries and the people should enjoy dignity, development results, and security.  The future of the world should be controlled by the people of all countries, international rules should be written by all countries, global affairs should be governed by all countries, and development results should be shared by all countries.

With the multi-polarization of the world, in-depth development of economic globalization, cultural diversification, and continuous advancement of social informatization, mankind today has more conditions than ever to move towards the goal of peace and development, and win-win cooperation is the realistic approach to achieve these goals.  Any unilateralism, protectionism, and extreme self-interest are totally unworkable; any soloist, hegemonic and bullying behavior is totally unworkable.

President Xi Jinping indicated that, the tide of history is mighty, those who follow it will prosper, while those who go against it will perish.  To keep up with the progress of times, one could not physically have lived in the 21st century, while the mindset remains in the past, in the old era of colonial expansion, in the old frame of Cold War mentality and Zero-sum game.

Concluding remarks

China is a part of the world.  China's development cannot be separated from the world, and the world's development also needs China.  China and the world are a community with a shared future.  China is willing to work with other countries in the world to promote the building of a new type of international relations and a community with a shared future for mankind, to jointly build a better world and create a better future.

China and Malaysia have always been good neighbors, good friends, and good partners, and are the model of the new type of international relations featuring mutual respect and win-win cooperation.  Amid the ever-changing international situation and the severe challenge of COVID-19 pandemic, cooperation in various fields between the two countries has risen against the trend, strategic mutual trust has been deepened, areas of cooperation have continued to expand, and the friendship between the peoples has become stronger.  Last year, China and Malaysia signed the "Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement" (RCEP).  The free trade zone with the largest participating population, the most diverse membership structure and the greatest development potential in the world is about to emerge.  The just held China-ASEAN Summit promoted China-ASEAN relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership.  President Xi Jinping proposed that China and ASEAN to jointly build a home that is peaceful, stable, prosperous, beautiful and friendly, and make new step toward a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future.

Standing at a new historical starting point, China-Malaysia relations and China-Sabah cooperation are encountering new important development opportunities.  Let us work to progress together, actively contribute to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, and jointly create a better tomorrow for China-Malaysia friendship and China-Sabah cooperation.

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