The world of 2021 has been bewildered by many pressing challenges: The emerging COVID-19 variants and the worldwide supply chain disruption are urging a reflection on previous anti-pandemic measures and trade policies; moreover, the vagrant life of thousands of refugees is reminding the public of the alarming global human rights situation.
Adding to these challenges is an ever-changing global geopolitical landscape featuring rising hegemonism and interventionism, as well as the resurgence of a Cold War mentality.
How can we walk out of this mire? The answer lies in Chinese President Xi Jinping's remarks at a conference marking the 50th anniversary of the restoration of the lawful seat of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations (UN).
"We should jointly promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, and work together to build an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity," Xi said.
PANDEMIC DISRUPTS GLOBAL ECONOMY
As of Dec. 23, global COVID-19 infections and deaths have surpassed 277 million and 5.37 million respectively, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
In 2021, amid the emergence of new COVID-19 variants like Delta and Omicron, some countries have closed their doors again, frequently updating their travel warnings and entry restrictions. In Europe, the United States, Latin America and Asia, employment subsidies, expansion of public investment and other rescue plans have suffered setbacks, and economic stimulus measures are generally weak.
Trade protectionism has gathered steam against the backdrop of the pandemic, disrupting global supply chains. Many factories in Europe and the United States have closed; industrial chains are broken; inflation is soaring and a structural adjustment is imminent.
The pandemic has also triggered a global energy crisis. Low operating rates in Middle Eastern and South American energy supply countries, together with decreasing efficiency of the global supply chains and rising transport costs, have resulted in an insufficient global energy supply.
Meanwhile, demand for energy has grown amid an effort to boost economic recovery. Many European countries, like Germany, have seen soaring gas and electricity prices, and worsened structural problems such as high dependence on fossil energy and an inadequate supply of renewable energy.
The pandemic has forced a change of the global business order and global trade: More economic activities are being conducted online; e-commerce, mobile payments and express delivery have been developing rapidly; the shortcomings of the West-centered industrial chains have been exposed, while the stabler Asian supply chains have attracted more global orders.
The concept of the global economic landscape has been updated: Economic integration featuring stronger adaptability and broader coverage is being shaped with a wider participation of countries and parties.
HEGEMONISM ENDANGERS WORLD SECURITY
Global security has been put at risk in 2021, as some forces have deliberately created panic and frictions to shift their domestic conflicts to the international arena.
Hegemonism remains a major threat to the world. For example, the United States has conducted military exercises across 17 time zones, with dozens of combat units and five aircraft carrier formations flexing their muscles in the Mediterranean Sea, the South China Sea and the East China Sea.
The United States has turned the Sea Breeze military exercises in the Black Sea into a "black whirlwind" that undermines regional security. It has deliberately covered up the nuclear submarine collision incident and paid no attention to the security concerns of other parties.
The United States has turned a blind eye to the refugee flows and humanitarian crises in Syria, Yemen and Libya. Its hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan has left the war-torn country with a huge humanitarian disaster.
Interventionism has become more rampant. Washington's sponsorship for anti-Cuba forces serves as an example. Besides, some Western politicians have threatened global public health security as they undermined scientific cooperation in tracing the origins of COVID-19.
Playing small-clique politics is nothing new: The Group of Seven, the Five Eyes Alliance, the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal, and the so-called "Summit for Democracy" have all undermined regional and global security by stoking divisions and confrontations.
MULTILATERALISM BRINGS NEW HOPE
Standing at a critical crossroads, most countries have firmly upheld multilateralism, and have chosen dialogue and openness as a way out of the tunnel.
The multilateral efforts in 2021, like the World Economic Forum Virtual Event of the Davos Agenda, the general debate of the UN General Assembly, the APEC leaders' meeting, the Group of 20 (G20) summit, and the summit of the leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), have altogether firmly safeguarded the basic norms of international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and vividly demonstrated the spirit of true multilateralism.
Besides, dialogue and cooperation have helped countries build consensuses and resolve differences. The agreement on the implementation rules of the Paris Agreement reached during the Glasgow climate change conference serves as proof.
The SCO has launched procedures to admit Iran as a member state, as well as Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar as new dialogue partners. Despite difficulties, negotiations on the Iranian nuclear issue have restarted at various levels, in order to seek communication, remove economic and trade barriers, and maintain proper relations between major countries.
Amid the pandemic, China has further deepened its opening-up and broadened market access to foreign investment, contributing to the recovery and stability of the world economy.
The Canton Fair, the China International Consumer Products Expo, the China International Fair for Trade in Services and the China International Import Expo have all showcased the deep integration of China's economy into the world. China has also actively participated in regional economic cooperation, followed high-standard international economic and trade rules, and shared its development opportunities with other countries.
CHINA OFFERS WISDOM ON BETTER FUTURE
Facing major changes unseen in a century, China has offered the world a list of solutions for a better future, among which is the well-known people-centered philosophy, the wisdom upheld by the Communist Party of China since its founding a century ago.
When addressing the 16th G20 Leaders' Summit via video link, Xi noted that "we must take a people-centered approach and make global development more equitable, effective and inclusive, so that no country will be left behind."
Putting people first and taking people's longing for a better life as the goal is the responsibility of all countries, he later said in a congratulatory letter to the 2021 South-South Human Rights Forum.
In early December, the China-Laos Railway, running from the Lao capital of Vientiane to the Chinese city of Kunming, officially started operation. As a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative, it has shown not only China's people-centered philosophy, but also its pursuit of common prosperity, a spirit especially precious in this world of uncertainties.
To narrow the vaccination gap, China has provided nearly 2 billion doses of vaccines for more than 120 countries and international organizations, and contributed to the fair distribution and use of vaccines worldwide. At the 2021 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit, China has urged the world to "bridge the digital divide" and "build a community with a shared future in cyberspace."
In response to the carbon emission gap, China has taken the lead in announcing the timetable and roadmap of peaking carbon emissions and achieving carbon neutrality. By successfully building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, China has demonstrated the great practice of bridging the gap between the rich and the poor.
As global development has reached a critical juncture, Xi for the first time proposed a Global Development Initiative at the UN, the core of which is to stay committed to development as a priority, to a people-centered approach, to benefits for all, to innovation-driven development, to harmony between man and nature and to results-oriented actions.
The initiative, which aims at steering global development toward a new stage of balanced, coordinated and inclusive growth, is another important public good provided by China to the international community in the face of mounting challenges.