Five Characteristics of a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind

By Yu Sui, a Senior Fellow of China Foundation for International Studies and Academician of the International Academy of Natural and Social Sciences

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Five Characteristics of a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind

By Yu Sui, a Senior Fellow of China Foundation for International Studies and Academician of the International Academy of Natural and Social Sciences

General Secretary Xi Jinping’s Report to the 19th National Congress of the CPC on the international situation and Chinese foreign affairs entitled "adhering to the peaceful development road and promoting the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind", systematically expounding the background, purpose, ideas and practices of a community with shared future for mankind, with theory innovation, great momentum, and a strong appeal. The author’s preliminary understanding is that it is featured by the times, pragmatism, inclusiveness, demonstration and universality.

I. From the perspective of the times: The report, from the height of the times and based on China, is analyzing the world and looking forward to the future.

To command the times concerns the country’s making internal and external decision-making from the strategic height. The general statement of the Report is that the world is in a period of great developments, great changes and great adjustments, and peace and development are still the main theme of the times. The report made a brilliant exposition on the characteristics of the great developments, great changes and great adjustments, i.e. in-depth developments of the world multi-polarization and economic globalization, the information society, and cultural diversity, accelerating the transformation of a global governance system, and an international order, deepening mutual connectivity and interdependence, thus the international balance of strength is more balanced, and the peaceful development trend is irreversible. It is under this era background that the relationship and interdependence between countries across the world are becoming more and more closely related, thus a community with a shared future for mankind has become the best carrier and inevitable choice of "global village".

Looking back at the history, from the Second World War to the post-war 1950s-1970s, mankind is in the era with revolution and war as the main theme, so back then it is impossible to put forward the proposition of building a community with a shared future for mankind. In the 1980s, Deng Xiaoping stated that peace and development become the main theme of the times. Thereafter, in the first decade of 21st Century, the CPC put forward the vision of promoting a harmonious world with lasting peace and common prosperity. With further developments of the world situation, covered by the era theme of peace and development, General Secretary Xi Jinping has made the judgment timely that the world is in a period of great developments, great changes and great adjustments, and creatively come up with the idea of constructing a community with a shared future for mankind.

Regarding China itself, which is just in the new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics. It is an era that we are striving to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation , i.e. the Chinese dream, and also the era that China is coming closer to the center of the world stage and constantly contributing to mankind. Therefore, China has reasons and conditions to strongly advocate the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind, and to build a community with a shared future for mankind is becoming the core concept of China's diplomatic strategy in the new era, and also the goal of China's participation in global governance reform. This proposed proposition is in conformity with the strong momentum of China's peaceful development and the rapid rise of its international status.

II. From the perspective of pragmatism: In the face of the present world situation, the Report earnestly points out that the world we live in is full of hopes and challenges.

It is the common expectations of all countries in the world that countries should get rich and strong, the society make progress, the economy become developed, and people are happy. Today, the world is full of challenges, which are manifested by lack of economic growth driver, the increasing polarization between the rich and the poor, the occurrence of regional hot spots here and there, and the non-traditional security threats such as terrorism, cyber security, major infectious diseases, climate change and so on, are continuously expanding. Human beings need to get together in a group to deal with these common challenges. This "group" is a community with a shared future for mankind.

The reality is complex, but we cannot give up the dream because of the complexity; the ideal is the goal, but we cannot give up the pursuit because of the ideal’s distance. The Report firmly and convincingly points out that no nation can meet the challenges facing mankind alone, no country can return to a self-enclosed island either. This shows that the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind is based on the actual needs, and it requires sober-minded work. The world today, with the United Nations as the center, has gone though hardships in the process of global governance, but after all, has sound performance in many aspects. This means if we human beings work together diligently we can reach the goal in the end.

III. From the perspective of inclusiveness: a community with a shared future for mankind does not exclude any country or nation because of social system, civilization tradition, religious belief, values. etc..

It can be said that among a community with a shared future for mankind, there are both similarities and differences between the members of the community, and a community with a shared future for mankind is a concentrated expression of the spirit of "harmony without sameness" at the world level. Leaders of any country, as long as they unify their national destiny with that of mankind, show sincerity to world peace and development, take a responsible attitude to the destiny of human beings, and do not hide the hegemonic ambitions for harming others, will not have the antipathetic feeling to construction of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Regarding China itself, "inclusiveness" embodies Chinese people's dream closely connected with the peoples’ dream around the world, to realize the Chinese dream cannot be separated from the peaceful international environment and stable international order. The Report makes a considerate answer to how China and the world are integrated with each other. On the one hand, it gives an overall consideration to both the domestic situation and international situation, unswervingly takes the road of peaceful development and a opening-up strategy of mutual benefit and win-win outcome, adheres to the correct concept of righteousness and benefit, establishes a new common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security concept, pioneers open, innovative, mutual and inclusive development prospects, promotes cultural exchanges of harmony with differentiations, and builds a ecological system in respect of the natural and green development.

On the other hand, uphold a global governance concept of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, promote the democratization of international relations, adhere to equality of countries regardless of the size, strength and wealth, support the United Nations to play an active role, support the expansion of developing countries’ representation and discourse in international affairs. In a word, China has always been a builder of world peace, a contributor of global development and a guardian of the international order.

IV. From the perspective of demonstration: In order to build a community with a shared future for mankind, China is practicing what it preaches, taking responsibilities, has and will continue to play a demonstrative role.

The Report solemnly states that the CPC is a political party working for the Chinese people and also a political party working for the cause of human progress. The CPC always regards a new and greater contribution to mankind as its mission.

The Chinese demonstrative practice is remarkable in recent 5 years, and attracts world attention. Just to name a few significant events, for example, implementing the Belt and Road Initiative, sponsoring establishment of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, establishing the Silk Road Fund, holding the first Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, hosting the APEC leaders informal meeting, the G-20 Hangzhou summit, the BRICS leaders meeting in Xiamen, the CICA summit etc..

The above facts and Chinese diplomatic history fully prove that China always unswervingly pursues an independent foreign policy of peace, respects the rights of peoples of all countries to independently choose their development path, upholds international fairness and justice, opposes imposing ones own will onto others, opposes interfering in other countries' internal affairs, and opposes strong bullying weak. China actively develops a global partnership, promotes major-country’ coordination and cooperation; deepens relations with neighboring countries in accordance with the concept of amity, sincerity, benefit and inclusiveness and the diplomacy policy of keeping friendship and partnership with neighbors; upholds the correct view of righteousness and benefit and true amity and sincerity in strengthening solidarity and cooperation with developing countries; vigorously provides the developing countries especially the least developed countries with aid to narrow the development gap between the North and the South. China has never developed itself at the expense of other countries' interests. China's development does not constitute a threat to any country. China will never seek hegemony and never expand, which is known to all.

It should also be pointed out that the exemplary role of the new China in the world since its founding is consistent. In the early days of its founding, from having proposed the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, to always emphasizing that China should make greater contributions to mankind, to building a community with a shared future for mankind can be traced to the same origin.

V. From the perspective of universality: building a community with a shared future for mankind is not just a slogan, but universally applicable to all countries in the world, especially developing countries. Many countries are greatly encouraged and respond enthusiastically.

The reason for the universality of building a community with a shared future for mankind is that no country or its leaders have any reason to openly oppose the construction of an open and inclusive, clean and beautiful world with lasting peace, universal security, and common prosperity. The prerequisite for building such a community proposed by the Report is fair and reasonable, and irrefutable. First is mutual respect, and equal consultation, resolutely abandoning the Cold War mentality and power politics, taking a new path of state-to-state exchanges featuring dialogue rather than confrontation, and partnership rather than alliance. Second is adhering to resolving disputes by dialogue, dispelling differences by negotiation, dealing with traditional and non-traditional security threats as a whole, and opposing terrorism in all forms. Third is working together to promote liberalization and facilitation of trade and investment, and push economic globalization towards a more open, inclusive, universally beneficial, balanced and win-win direction. Fourth is respect for diversity of world civilization, with cultural exchanges transcending civilization differences, with learning from each others civilization transcending the clash of civilizations and with civilization coexistence transcending civilization superiority. Fifth is adherence to environmental-friendliness, cooperation to respond to the climate change, and protecting the Mother Earth – a common home of mankind.

Peace, development, cooperation and win-win outcome are the policy that China resolutely pursues. Of course, maintaining peace is not an appeasement, promoting development is not charity, advocating cooperation is not begging from anybody. Seeking win-win outcome proceeds from sincerity and never woos anybody. The extensive consultation for the Belt and Road construction is based on equality and mutual trust; its joint contribution based on inclusiveness and mutual learning and its shared benefits based on win-win cooperation.

The building of a community with a shared future for mankind is both a brilliant and arduous process, which is not equal to the realization of the world's great harmony overnight. It is forward-looking, but is not beyond reality; it is pragmatic, but cannot be achieved overnight. In a word, a community with a shared future for mankind shows lofty ideals and humanitarian thoughts and feelings, which condense the common expectations of mankind, and worth making unremitting efforts.