Shouldering the Historical Responsibility And Create A Grandeur Cause of History Together--Comment on President Xi Jinping's important speech at the general debate of the 75th United Nations General Assembly

Shouldering the Historical Responsibility And Create A Grandeur Cause of History Together--Comment on President Xi Jinping's important speech at the general debate of the 75th United Nations General Assembly

Xinhua News Agency

"The baton of history has reached our generation, and we must make a choice worthy of the people and history."On the 22 September, delivering an important speech at the general debate of the 75th Session of UN General Assembly, President Xi Jinping put forward 4 initiatives to fight the COVID-19 outbreak, summed up 4 important points of enlightenment brought by the pandemic, answered the question of "what’s matter with the world and what to do", and solemnly declared 4 major initiatives for China to support the United Nations in playing a central role. The speech adheres to the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind, grasps the mega-trend of the times, highlights China's wisdom and demonstrates China's responsibilities, which has aroused wide resonance in the international community.

Presently, mankind is fighting against the novel coronavirus outbreak, which is a severe test for the whole world. This virus is the common enemy of mankind, and can only be overcome with people-oriented efforts, unity and cooperation. In the face of the pandemic outbreak, we should strengthen the concept of placing people first, prioritizing life, consolidating solidarity, and pulling together at the time of difficulties, formulating comprehensive and normalmeasures for preventing and control, offering particular care to developing countries, especially African countries, as President Xi Jinping points out. These four points adhering to placing people first, coordinating pandemic prevention and control, and economic and social development, and advocating the spirit of science and cooperation, which not only condense China's successful experience in beating the pandemic outbreak, but also put forward solutions to the outstanding problems faced by the global anti-pandemic efforts, is conducive to promoting international anti -pandemic cooperation and injecting strong positive energy into maintaining global public health security.

A history of the development of human society is a history of constantly overcoming various challenges and difficulties. Despite the interactive impacts between novel coronavirus outbreaks globally and the great changes in the world unseen in a century, the theme of peace and development has not changed, and the expectations of people of various countries for peaceful development, cooperation and win-win are stronger. In the face of the rising global challenges, we must work together to overcome the difficulties in trying times, create a great historical undertaking and build a beautiful home.

"Those who want to have good harvest should work their land according to seasonal changes, and those who want to govern the state well should adopt suitable rules." Only by grasping the "opportunity" and "trend" of the world's development and clarifying what kind of world mankind is facing, can we move steadily and further in the right direction. This pandemic outbreak enlightens us that we live in an interconnected global village where we share weal and woe, and economic globalization is an objective reality and historical trend. All countries are closely linked, and mankind shares a common future, so we must get free from the small circle and zero-sum game thinking, nurture the sense of community with a shared future, and establish the concept of big family and win-win cooperation. Economic globalization is an irresistible historical trend, and the world cannot return to a state of isolation from each other, let alone be separated artificially. To comply with the historical trend, we must uphold fairness and justice, face up to major issues such as the gap between the rich and the poor, and the development gap, so as to ensure development to be balanced and sufficient, and the development achievements to benefit people of all countries more fairly; we must uphold the concept of openness and inclusiveness, take a clear stand against unilateralism and protectionism, and unswervingly build an open world economy. It is both the ardent expectation of the people and the responsibility of the statesmen of all countries that ensure the torch of peace to pass down from generation to generation, the driving force of development to continue, and the brilliance of civilizations to shine forever.

"If the situation is different, so is the environment; thus the ways to handle affairs are different." Today's world is experiencing great changes that areunseen in hundred years. Only by accurately recognizing changes, responding to changes scientifically and actively seeking changes, can we create a new situation in the changing situation. The COVID-19 outbreak is like a magnifying glass, reflecting the chronic diseases of human development and lifestyle, as well as the shortcomings of the global governance system, and admonishes us to be brave in change and good at action. It is unsustainable for the old road to only pay attention to benefitrather than investment, to development rather than protection and to utilization rather than repair. Mankind needs a self revolution to accelerate the formation of green development mode and lifestyle, promote the "green recovery" of the world economy in the post-pandemic period, and gather a strong synergy of sustainable development. The global governance system needs to be reformed and improved urgently, so we must adhere to the road of multilateralism, maintain the international system with the United Nations as the core, uphold the principle of extensive consultation, joint construction and shared benefits, and promote the development of global governance towards a more equitable and effective direction, so as to make the global governance system conform to the changed world politics and economy, meet the practical needs of responding to global challenges, and comply with the historical trend of peaceful development and win-win cooperation.

As the largest developing country in the world, China is following the path of peaceful development, open development, cooperative development and common development, and is taking the road of "seeking common welfare for mankind". President Xi Jinping announced a series of major initiatives and measures to support the cause of the United Nations in 2015 at the High-level Meeting to Commemorate the 70th Anniversaryof the United Nations. At the 75th session of the UN General Assembly, President Xi Jinping once again proposed 4 major initiatives to support the United Nations in playing a central role in international affairs. Whether to provide fund support to the humanitarian program of the UN anti-pandemic outbreak, or to promote the South-South cooperation, or to support the UN Sustainable Development Agenda 2030, or to shoulder a major country responsibility and upgrade mankind welfare, China always takes a consistent action and works hard, is a firm builder of a world peace, a contributor of a global development anda defender of the international order.

Unity is strength, and justice is invincible. Standing at the crossroads of history, the people of all countries shall move forward hand in hand to promote the construction of a new type of international relations and a community with a shared future for mankind, which will surely push forward the lofty cause of peace and development of mankind and jointly create a better future for the world.

(Edited excerpts of the article in the People’s Daily, 23 September 2020)