Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi addressed a high-level meeting in Beijing celebrating five years of the Global Development Initiative, emphasizing the need to align development efforts with UN sustainable development goals amid growing global challenges.
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi called for strengthened international cooperation on development at a high-level meeting in Beijing on Tuesday, marking the fifth anniversary of the Global Development Initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping in 2021. Wang stressed that aligning the initiative with the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has become increasingly important as the world faces mounting challenges including delays in implementing UN goals, widening development gaps between developed and developing nations, and persistent global instability.
According to Wang, the initiative has gained substantial international backing, with more than 130 countries and international organizations expressing support and nearly 100 signing cooperation agreements with China. Over the past five years, China has mobilized more than $23 billion to support approximately 1,800 livelihood projects and provided professional training to over 200,000 people from developing countries, benefiting more than 120 nations. The country has also established more than 30 cooperation mechanisms and platforms to strengthen development capabilities in Global South countries.
The meeting, co-hosted by China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and UN development offices, drew participation from diplomatic representatives and UN officials. Earle Courtenay Rattray, chef de cabinet to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, noted that only 36 percent of measurable sustainable development targets are currently on track, emphasizing the need to scale up existing solutions and secure adequate financing. Ambassadors from Pakistan and Kenya praised the initiative for promoting South-South cooperation and shifting focus toward development over competition.
Wang outlined four priorities moving forward: enhancing solidarity to create peaceful conditions for development, accelerating progress toward sustainable development goals through shared resources, promoting innovation and closing digital divides between developed and developing nations, and strengthening multilateral cooperation. He emphasized that China would continue supporting UN reform and increasing its commitment to global development efforts.
