BEIJING, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- "The greatest ideal is to create a
world truly shared by all," Chinese President Xi Jinping said five years
ago in his debut at the solemn UN General Assembly Hall, citing an
ancient adage that reflects the defining world view ingrained in China's
millennia-old civilization. Upholding that ideal, Xi expounded his concept of and approach to
building a community with a shared future for mankind, his flagship
vision on how to guide humanity through the various common challenges
toward a better future. Five years later, Xi's vision is gaining more relevance and
importance. As the United Nations celebrates its 75th anniversary, the
world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century, with COVID-19,
the gravest global public health crisis since the 1918 influenza
pandemic, having intensified both centrifugal undercurrents that are
pulling the world apart and centripetal forces that are strengthening
global solidarity and cohesion. At such a momentous juncture, Xi is to appear once again on the most
prestigious international platform, attending a series of virtual UN
high-level meetings in the coming days and presenting China's answers to
the fundamental questions hanging over the world. COMMON VALUES When he visited the UN headquarters in the fall of 2015, Xi brought a
gift for the United Nations' 70th birthday -- "Zun of Peace," a red
bronze bottle decorated by traditional Chinese auspicious patterns. It shows the aspiration and faith of the Chinese people in seeking
peace, development, cooperation and win-win results, which are also
spirits of the UN Charter, Xi explained. "The Zun of Peace embodies the close relations and shared values of
China and the United Nations," said then UN Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon when receiving the gift on behalf of the world body. The great importance Xi attaches to the United Nations has been
consistently demonstrated in practice. Over the years, he has visited
the UN Office at Geneva and the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization in Paris, and met on various occasions with UN leaders. In
May, he addressed the World Health Assembly via video link. Many of his
important thoughts on global governance were delivered through these UN
rostrums. "Peace, development, equality, justice, democracy and freedom are
common values of all mankind and the lofty goals of the United Nations,"
Xi said under the dome of the General Assembly Hall in 2015. Hanging high behind him was a huge golden UN emblem showing a world
map inscribed in a wreath consisting of crossed olive branches, which
carries the organization's vision for a world free of war, hunger or
injustice. "Yet these goals are far from being achieved; therefore we must
continue our endeavors," he told the 193-member General Assembly. MULTILATERAL COMMITMENT The United Nations' 75th anniversary is celebrated when the world is
reeling from the still raging COVID-19 pandemic, the most serious global
public health emergency since the 1918 influenza pandemic. The pandemic exposes a lack of leadership and unity in the
international system. Moreover, the United Nations and multilateralism
it represents are facing unprecedented challenges with the rise of
unilateralism and protectionism. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
described the situation as a "1945 moment." The more complex and grim the situation is, the more important it is
to manifest the authority and role of the United Nations, Xi told
Guterres when they met in April 2019 in Beijing on the sidelines of the
Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. China firmly upholds multilateralism, the international system with
the United Nations at its core, and the international order based on
international law, and promotes the building of a community with a
shared future for humanity, Xi added. These words are never empty talk. China is currently working to set
up a global humanitarian response depot and hub in China to ensure
operation of supply chains amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It is also
working to implement the UN Sustainable Development agenda with stronger
actions in eliminating extreme poverty and cutting greenhouse gas
emissions. Over the past five years, the concrete commitments Xi made in 2015
have been implemented in tandem. A 10-year, 1-billion-U.S.-dollar
China-UN peace and development fund was inaugurated in 2016 in support
of the UN peacekeeping operations as well as social, economic and
environmental projects. China has also completed the registration of a
UN peacekeeping standby force of 8,000 troops. China's support is crucial to multilateralism, Guterres told Xi during a phone conversation in March. "No matter how the international situation changes, China will take
the side of multilateralism and adhere to the global governance concept
of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits," Xi
has vowed. SHARED FUTURE Building a community with a shared future for mankind "to me is the
only future for humanity on this planet," said Peter Thomson, president
of the 71st Session of the General Assembly, after meeting with Xi in
2017 in Geneva. Pondering on the fundamental challenges confronting the world and the
path for the entire humanity to march ahead, Xi has proposed building a
community with a shared future for mankind and the Belt and Road
Initiative (BRI). As BRI cooperation is yielding tangible results one after another,
including Greece's Piraeus port, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor,
China-Europe freight trains, Xi has promised that China will continue to
pursue a win-win strategy of opening-up, and share development
opportunities with other countries. "Welcome them aboard the fast train of China's development," Xi has proclaimed. The theme of this year's UN high-level sessions is "The Future We
Want, the UN We Need: Reaffirming Our Collective Commitment to
Multilateralism." It echoes with Xi's consistent call to build a
community with a shared future for mankind, which was the theme of his
landmark 2015 speech at the UN General Assembly. In that address, Xi set forth a five-point proposal on how to build a
new type of international relations featuring win-win cooperation and
create a community with a shared future for mankind, with partnership,
security, development, culture and ecology being the key aspects. Recalling the scene five years ago, Christian Landrein, a retired UN
interpreter for French language who translated Xi's speech on site, said
it was applauded for multiple times, and "the atmosphere was electric." "We only have one planet, which is our shared home," said Landrein.
"All countries must collaborate to protect it and ensure sustainable
development, to guarantee a prosperous future for all nations." Enditem
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