The final plenary of United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP15) in Montreal, Quebec, on December 19, 2022. （PHOTO: VCG）

Edited by GONG Qian & TANG Zhexiao

Committing to Global Development

Development is the right of all, not an exclusive privilege of the few. China has been taking concrete actions and conducting pragmatic cooperation with countries to achieve the common goal of human welfare.

One typical case is demonstrated by the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which has allowed many developing countries to make cooperation deals with China that benefit those countries, as opposed to the kind of trade agreements imperialism delivers - exploitative and leaving those countries in impoverished chaos, said Elizabeth Rowley, leader of the Communist Party of Canada.

The latest data shows that in the first two months of 2023, the trade volume between China and ASEAN countries rose by 9.6 percent year-on-year, according to Xu Ningning, executive president of the China-ASEAN Business Council.

Xu revealed that the non-financial direct investment in countries along BRI from Chinese enterprises reached 17.06 billion RMB (about 2.49 billion USD) in January, up 42.7 percent year-on-year.

Another is showcased by Global Development Initiative (GDI), which was announced by China in 2021.

The GDI is a promising response to help the world recover from recent setbacks and accelerate the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) worldwide, said Siddharth Chatterjee, UN Resident Coordinator in China, in his speech at a forum in 2022.

As the initiator of the GDI, China has built cooperation platforms along with its international partners to deliver the initiative. For example, 150 institutions from nearly 40 countries and regions are making joint preparations to establish a World Technical Vocational and Education Training (TVET) League. More than 60 countries have joined the Group of Friends of the GDI. Over 40,000 training opportunities have been provided to Group of Friends countries through over 1,000 capacity building programs.

"No country or individual should be left behind," President Xi said at the High-level Dialogue on Global Development in 2022.

Strengthening Biodiversity

In September 2020, a position paper Building a Shared Future for All Life on Earth: China in Action was released, elaborating the country's experience, progress, position and propositions on biodiversity conservation.

Economic development must not come at the price of the ecology, because clean waters and green mountains are just as valuable as gold and silver.

Over the past years, China has committed to strengthening biodiversity protection and building a shared future for all life on earth, taking actions in improving the legal and policy frameworks, as well as funding support.

The country has released and revised a host of laws and regulations pertinent to biodiversity conservation, including those on environmental protection, wild animal protection, seeds, livestock, fishery, forestry, grasslands, the marine environment, protection of nature reserves and wild plants.

In 2018, ecological civilization was enshrined in the Chinese constitution and embedded in the master blueprint of national development.

China has achieved inspiring and remarkable outcomes in fighting climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, while persistently promoting global sustainable development and building a community for all life on earth, according to Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, executive secretary of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.

British zoologist Alice Hughes, who has worked in China for about eight years, said the country's efforts in biodiversity is "unparalleled". She told Nature magazine in 2021 that western media coverage of environmental issues in China often focused on the nation's urban air pollution and its role as one of the world's largest greenhouse gas emitter. "But China has a vision for protecting nature, and it has made progress," he said.

As the position paper said, China will join hands with the international community to build a shared future for all life on Earth, and chart the course for global ecological civilization.

Protecting People's Life, Health

The history of human civilization is one of fighting diseases and enduring disasters.

The key lesson the world has learned from fighting AIDS, Ebola, avian influenza, H1N1 and other pandemics is that humankind has a community with a shared future.

In March 2020, the concept of building a global community of health for all was first proposed in a message to French President Emmanuel Macron.

With this vision, China has proven itself a friend in need by sharing treatment knowledge, providing medical supplies, and promoting cooperation in vaccines to other countries and regions.

The year 2023 marks the 60th anniversary since China sent its first medical team abroad.

Over the past six decades, a total of 30,000 Chinese medical staff have treated 290 million local patients in 76 countries and regions across five continents, winning extensive recognition worldwide.

The government of Zambia presented the "Medal of Foreign Cooperation" to members of the 25th Chinese Military Medical Expert Team to Zambia on March 5, in appreciation for providing quality medical services to the locals and sending senior medical experts to Zambia over the years.

Keeping the faith of building a global community of health for all, Chinese medical aid teams are now working at 115 sites in 56 countries.

Contributing to a Safe, Peaceful World

The news of Saudi Arabia and Iran agreeing to resume diplomatic relations in a China-brokered deal made headlines around the world.

"China has succeeded again in its diplomatic mediation between two arch rivals in the Middle East. Unlike the United States and its bullying diplomacy, China has been gradually emerging as a superpower with a predominantly reconciliatory and peace-centric diplomacy," said the Manila Times .

The case not only showed that China is emerging as a trustworthy mediator, but also that it champions the successful practice of implementing the Global Security Initiative (GSI) in the region.

The GSI is an indispensable part of building a community with a shared future.

China has also been following a path of peaceful development and playing a big role in world peacekeeping. So far, it has sent more than 50,000 peacekeepers to aid 25 UN peacekeeping missions, and become the second- largest contributor to the UN peacekeeping budget and the top contributor of peacekeepers among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, according to the Ministry of National Defense of China.