Some countries remain entrenched in the outdated belief that "might makes right." Their hegemonic mindset and practices have stalled the reform of global rules, weakening the world's collective capacity to act in the face of an ineffective global governance system.

New challenges, such as the exploration of deep-sea resources, the commercial use of polar shipping routes, the definition of outer space resource rights, and cross-border data flows, are emerging rapidly, yet corresponding international rules remain largely absent or fragmented.

At the same time, some Western countries, leveraging long-established advantages, dominate major multilateral institutions in global economic and financial governance. By contrast, Global South countries, which account for more than 80 percent of the world's population and over 40 percent of global economic output, remain underrepresented in international organizations, with their legitimate concerns ineffectively addressed.

Moreover, some countries bypass or coerce multilateral mechanisms, resorting to withdrawals and sanctions, further fragmenting global governance.

This continuous weakening of governance effectiveness has caused insufficient provision of global public goods, leaving responses to many global challenges mired in prolonged deliberation without decision, and decisions without implementation.

"Countries around the world are like passengers aboard the same ship who share the same destiny. For the ship to navigate the storm and sail toward a bright future, all passengers must pull together. The thought of throwing anyone overboard is simply not acceptable," Chinese President Xi Jinping once said.

With this vivid metaphor, Xi underscores the vision of a community with a shared future for humanity, charting a course for improving the global governance system and promoting the common development of humanity.

The Global Governance Initiative (GGI) seeks to address this governance deficit. It calls for adhering to sovereign equality, directly targeting the shortcomings of a system in which "a few countries call the shots," and affirms that the destiny of the world should be shaped collectively by all peoples. Regardless of size, strength, or level of development, all countries are equal members of the international community, with the right to participate in global governance.

It calls for abiding by the international rule of law, emphasizing that international rules must be jointly formulated by the international community rather than monopolized by a few countries.

It advocates for rules that evolve with the times, taking into account countries' different stages of development and legitimate interests.

It calls for practicing multilateralism by upholding the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, reinforcing the central role of multilateral mechanisms, opposing bloc politics and camp confrontation, and promoting a more coordinated and effective system of global governance.

The initiative promotes a people-centered approach, emphasizing that the ultimate goal of global governance is to improve the well-being of all peoples. It seeks to address the issues most directly related to people's lives, such as employment, education and healthcare, so that the outcomes of governance are shared more broadly and more equitably among all peoples.

It focuses on taking real actions, prioritizes the delivery of concrete results from the GGI, and encourages countries to turn consensus into action and address governance challenges through pragmatic cooperation.

These five pillars reinforce one another, outlining a clear framework for reforming the global governance system.

As a guardian of the international order and a provider of global public goods, China has been advancing the reform of global governance through practical actions, achieving concrete progress.

China actively participates in global ecological governance. It has fully and effectively implemented the Paris Agreement and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, announced its Nationally Determined Contributions target for 2035, and proposed the establishment of a Global Clean Energy Cooperation Partnership.

China is also deeply engaged in formulating digital governance rules. It has put forward the Global Initiative on Data Security, the Global AI Governance Initiative, and the Global Cross-Border Data Flow Cooperation Initiative, working to improve and refine the digital governance framework so that technological innovation does not become "a game for rich countries and the wealthy."

In response to persistent power imbalances, China is promoting badly-needed reforms in major multilateral institutions in global economic and financial governance, supporting developing countries in amplifying their voices and representation. China is also advancing the expansion of cooperation mechanisms such as the BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and fostering South-South cooperation platforms, including the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the China-CELAC Forum, injecting new vitality into the reshaping of the global governance landscape.

In line with the needs of multilateral coordination, China firmly supports the United Nations in playing a central role. It has increased investment in the China-UN Peace and Development Fund and has been steadily advancing related cooperation. In addition, together with more than 30 countries, China helped set up the International Organization for Mediation headquartered in Hong Kong, contributing to the maintenance of global peace and stability through the rule of law.