China contributes to fairer international order

BY ZHA JIANGUO, XIA LI and CHEN LIAN | 12-02-2020
(Chinese Social Sciences Today)

The 17th China-ASEAN Expo and China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit kick off in Nanning, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, on Nov. 27. Photo: Lu Boan/XINHUA


SHANGHAI—China will make greater contributions to building a more fair and reasonable international order, said experts at a recent forum on global governance. 

Han Zhaoying, a professor from the Zhou Enlai School of Government at Nankai University, said that in the 19th century, Britain established an international order centered on the British Empire through overseas expansion and the establishment of colonies. The Commonwealth still exists as a remnant of this order. The United States established an international order dominated by American hegemony in the 20th century.
 
The current international environment is becoming increasingly complex, and factors of instability and uncertainty have increased significantly. In the context of profound changes in the international landscape and enormous challenges to global governance, China has always been committed to promoting the development of international order in a more just and reasonable direction. The country recently successfully hosted the third China International Import Expo, and facilitated the signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.
 
Han said that China actively advocates for the joint construction of the Belt and Road, builds an international platform, and practices "partnership without alliance" to promote mutual benefits and common development among partners. In practice, China's behavior has promoted regional stability, world peace and development, and helped to facilitate the international order in a more just and reasonable direction. In global governance, the concept of a community of shared future for mankind proposed by China is a powerful proposition for uniting all countries in the world and effectively responding to challenges.
 
In the face of major global crises, the community of shared future for mankind is very relevant, providing a rational and feasible plan of action for solving global problems, said Li Yihu, director of the Taiwan Research Institute at Peking University.
 
Cai Tuo, honorary director of the Globalization and Global Issues Institute at China University of Political Science and Law, mentioned that under the current background, China adheres to the basic national policy of opening up to the outside world, while keeping in mind both its internal and international imperatives. The country tries to fully utilize the domestic and international markets and resources to develop an open economy at a higher level, actively participating in global economic governance while resolutely safeguarding its development interests. 
 
Coordinating the internal and international imperatives is actually a common problem faced by all countries, Cai noted. The key is to have a rational understanding and positioning of the world and the country, and it involves the exploration of and reflection on ideas, values, and political philosophy. China must not only strive for a peaceful international environment to develop itself, but also promote world peace through its own development.
 
In the new era, the research topics and approaches of global governance are constantly expanding. Chen Zhimin, vice president of Fudan University, proposed that regarding global governance, two types of governance involving five levels need to be studied. The two types of governance refer to domestic governance and international governance. Domestic governance includes local governance and national governance. International governance includes bilateral governance, regional governance, and world governance. At the same time, it is necessary to study collaborative global governance and national characteristics in global governance.
Edite by JIANG HONG