(As prepared for delivery)

China’s views on global governance issues consist of four major elements. They are guiding principles, basic attitudes, key issues and future roles.

I. Guiding Principles. At the time of globalization and information revolution, China believes that the world needs global governance more than ever before. It was written into the CCP’s 18th Party Congress documents as one of the guiding principles of China’s foreign policy. Simply put, they are XXX.

II. Basic Attitudes. First of all, China believes in evolution rather than revolution of the global governance. Therefore, upon entering into the 21st Century, China dropped the revolutionary catchphrase of establishing new international political and economical order. Instead, China has since called for promoting the international system and order in a fairer and more equal direction. Secondly, China prefers an orderly evolution of system transformation, norm setting and rule making. On its difficult, sometimes even painful learning curve, China has been working with the international community in these regards. China advocates for respecting the core roles of the UN, G20, WTO and international mechanisms on climate changes, energy and resource security. Especially, on such vital and critical issues of peace and war, China categorically opposes any attempts to bypass the United Nations in such cases as Iraq War in 2003 and possible using force on Syria in 2013. Last but not least, China prefers pragmatic ways to deal with the present difficulties in global governance. In face of stalemates of some global mechanisms, China works with other Asian countries for regional and sub-regional cooperation as a stepping stone for global advancements. Chiang Mai Initiative (CMI), Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and others are examples of successes of these efforts.

III. Key Issues. The global governance issues have a long list. Therefore, China holds that international community should prioritize its agendas to deal with the most urgent issues related to global governance. To the developing countries China included, the first and foremost mission is to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) set by the United Nations in 2000. China has since made significant progress in implementing the MDGs and met several goals several years ahead of schedule. Other priorities include environment protection, climate change and resource security. Besides, China also deems that the international community should work at the setting norms and rules of the new global commons.

IV. Constructive Roles. On its rising path, China has been making greater contribution to the world and helps the needed ones. China provides the most manpower to the UN peacekeeping forces among the P-5 and maintains anti-piracy control in the Aden Bay. During the financial crisis, China and other BRICS countries uphold the same-boat spirits and maintain consultation and coordination with the Western countries, thus resulting in positive achievements for the benefits of the whole international community.

With deepening integration with the international community, China has also been shifting from a reactive to proactive role. China is advocating win-win cooperation with Asian neighbors as well as all members of the international community and works with other countries to design and implement plans to deal with the global governance issues.

V. Roads Ahead. China has great opportunities to make greater contribution to the global governance. However, it also faces serious challenges as well. China needs to enlarge its material basis by more balanced and sustainable developments. Furthermore China needs to upgrade its cultural and intellectual qualities for farsighted visions and missions. China needs to integrate the world both materially and culturally for good global governance.

As a matter of fact, China and the outside world share more commonality than differences, therefore, China needs to play down its specialty and stress its commonality with the outside world. This is particularly important when it comes to the media and public opinions.

As regards Asia’s status with regional and global governance, it has some special strength. First and foremost, it is Asia’s economic dynamism and its contribution to the improvement of global economic governance. In the post-War years up to the present, there have been rounds of economic dynamism from Japan’s Taking-off to the Four Asian Tigers to Diamond to the emerging economies of China, India, Indonesia and the like. The breadth and depth of this dynamism can hardly find its matches in other regions of the world. Most of Asia belongs to the developing world and their economic dynamism contributes to a fairer representation and balanced allocation of rights in global economic governance.

Political dynamism constitutes another aspect of Asia’s strength in global governance. Compared with some established regions, Asia stands out more prominently for its learning spirits and reform pursuance. Political reforms stand behind economic progress, which makes Asia readier and more adaptable to changes and reforms than some others in the times of globalization and information revolution.

Asia also benefits enormously from its open and inclusive regionalism, which makes up its third aspect of strength in global governance. In Asia there are various regional and inter-regional mechanisms, among which are ASEAN, APEC, SCO, EAS, GMS (Great Mekong Sub-region Cooperation), ASEM and CICA (Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia). China, India and other Asian countries believe that Asia-Pacific is large enough for common development of the countries both inside and outside the region.

Last but not least, Asians have tried to build up shared values since the 1950s starting with the famous Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence and the Bandung Spirits. In the 1980s and 1990s, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew advocated for Asian Values and Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir emphasized Asian development models. Early this Century the SCO agreed on carrying out Shanghai Spirits. June this year at Sunnylands Summit President Obama echoed President Xi Jinping’s call for New Model of Major Country Relations. These shared values help Asians work together for both values with their distinctions as well as global commonalities.

Having said so, we must recognize that strength and weakness are two sides of the same coin with Asia. In terms of global and regional governance as far as Asia is concerned, the most obvious weakness is political and security divergences especially with leftover of the Cold War confrontations and territorial/maritime disputes. Besides, the economic growth does not change fundamentally the disadvantageous and lower echelons in global economy, such as rule-making, agenda-setting, and financial commanding. Furthermore, the regional integration has also been hampered by lack of regional awareness and cohesiveness owing to different histories, cultures, religions and stages of development. Last but not least, Asia is also obsessed by internal turbulences sprawling from Afghanistan to Myanmar, Thailand and North Korea.

To uplift Asia in an all-round way is a long process. Difficulties and problems are natural and common. So long as Asia continues to carry out its strength and remedy its weakness, it will surely realize the Asian Dream and contribute positively to the better regional and global governance.

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