The world is moving ever closer toward greater multipolarity, economic globalization and cultural diversity, becoming increasingly information-orientated in the process. Countries today are more frequently connected and closely interdependent than at any point in history. Humanity is, without a doubt, a community with a shared future—a future in which everyone's interests are inseparably entwined.

However, a growing deficit in peace, development, security and governance, together with intertwining conventional and non-conventional security issues, such as regional conflicts, arms races, food insecurity, terrorism, cyber-attacks, climate change, energy crises and artificial intelligence snags, poses a grave threat to the beautiful planet we all live on.

In the face of emerging global difficulties and challenges, human society needs new ideas, new concepts and a more just, equitable, balanced, resilient and effective global governance system. What kind of world to build and how to create a brighter future are questions on the minds of all countries and individuals. We must respond to the challenges presented by the times and make the right choices.

When Chinese President Xi Jinping addressed the 23rd Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) via video in Beijing on July 4 and expressed his expectations for the future of the nine-member international organization, he said, "A just cause finds great support, and a journey with many companions goes a long way."

The sentence derives from remarks found in The Analects of Confucius and the Dao De Jing, works that outline the thoughts of the two great ancient Chinese thinkers Confucius and Laozi, respectively. It underlines the importance of advancing together on the right path to achieve greater development through solidarity, cooperation and perseverance.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the China-proposed concept of building a community with a shared future for humanity. As the world is changing in ways rarely seen before, the SCO, founded by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in Shanghai in 2001, has upheld this concept of a shared future and embarked on a new path where countries build partnerships instead of forming exclusive blocs and work together toward common benefits instead of working against one another by engaging in confrontation. This devotedness has made the SCO a cornerstone for world peace and stability, exemplifying the time-honored adage that "a just cause finds great support, and a journey with many companions goes a long way."

This year also marks the 10th anniversary of the launch of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), an initiative consisting of a Silk Road Economic Belt and a 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road. Over the past decade, the initiative, aimed at boosting connectivity along and beyond the ancient Silk Road routes, has gathered three fourths of the world's countries and 32 international organizations and carried out 3,000 projects with nearly $1 trillion in investment.

Flagship projects include China-Europe freight trains, the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway, the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. The initiative's participating economies have strengthened their interconnectivity, leading to burgeoning cross-border trade and investment.

The BRI supports genuine multilateralism through consultation and cooperation in global governance. It advocates dialogue rather than confrontation, tearing down walls rather than erecting new ones, integration rather than decoupling, and inclusion rather than exclusion. This new paradigm for state-to-state relations shapes the international order toward greater justice and equity.

To contribute to the future wellbeing of humanity, China has proposed several undertakings to lift global governance. For example, the country's ideas on development, security, civilizations and ecological progress are considered global public goods because they inspire the international community to seek cooperation while setting aside differences, and because their benefits are continuously and equally available to all nations.

China calls for building international relations featuring mutual respect, fairness and justice, as well as win-win cooperation. It works with its partners to promote regional cooperation while pursuing global common development. "A just cause finds great support, and a journey with many companions goes a long way." China's efforts in this area reflect the continued relevance of ancient Chinese knowhow in contemporary times. 

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon

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