Wang Yi,
Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee
And Minister of Foreign Affairs
Qiushi Journal, No. 02, 2025
I
Building a community with a shared future for mankind is a major original idea proposed by General Secretary Xi Jinping, and the core concept of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy. It provides China’s answer to the question of our times—what kind of world we should build and how we should build it. In December 2023, the Central Conference on Work Relating to Foreign Affairs identified the theme of China’s external work as building a community with a shared future for mankind, setting the noble goal that China pursues in conducting major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics. Over the past year, amid great transformation and instability in the world, we in the diplomatic service have followed the strong leadership of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core and the scientific guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy, upheld fundamental principles while breaking new ground, and acted with composure and confidence in fostering a favorable external environment for China’s high-quality development and providing much-needed stability to a turbulent world. New and substantive progress has been made in building a community with a shared future for mankind.
Head-of-state diplomacy has been marked by numerous highlights, providing strategic guidance for building a community with a shared future for mankind. As General Secretary Xi Jinping noted, dreams and wishes may be far, but they can be fulfilled with dedicated pursuit. Building a community with a shared future is a historical process that requires persistent and painstaking efforts. Over the past year, General Secretary Xi Jinping personally engaged and actively participated in a wide range of head-of-state diplomatic events, leading the way forward for building a community with a shared future for mankind. He attended three major home-ground diplomatic events, expounding on the historic step from peaceful coexistence to a shared future for humanity at the Conference Marking the 70th Anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, drawing up a new blueprint for comprehensively strengthening China-Africa cooperation at the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), and elevating China-Arab cooperation in the new era to a higher level at the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum. He undertook four important overseas visits. His trip to Europe helped build trust, dispel misunderstandings, enhance cooperation, and open up a brighter future. His visit to Central Asia carried forward the Shanghai Spirit and deepened good-neighborly relations. His attendance at the BRICS Summit advanced high-quality development of greater BRICS cooperation, and reinforced solidarity among the Global South. His trip to Latin America charted a new course for Asia-Pacific cooperation and brought a renewed focus on global governance reform. With the global vision, broad-mindedness and sense of common good for humanity befitting the leader of a major party and a major country, General Secretary Xi Jinping had in-depth strategic communication with world leaders and reached out to strengthen friendship with the people of other countries. He elaborated on the rationale for peaceful development, the path to win-win cooperation, and the principle of global solidarity, thereby contributing to the forces of peace, stability, and progress in a volatile world.
All-round diplomacy has been deepened and expanded, providing solid underpinning for building a community with a shared future for mankind. As stated by General Secretary Xi Jinping, China will work with other countries to build a community with a shared future for mankind, forge partnerships across the world, enhance friendship and cooperation, and explore a new path of growing state-to-state relations based on mutual respect, fairness, justice and win-win cooperation. Our goal is to build a more peaceful and tranquil world, and make life happier and more fulfilling for all. Over the past year, we have continued to build global partnerships that foster dialogue and inclusiveness rather than confrontation and exclusion, further substantiated China’s all-round, multitiered, wide-ranging and multi-faceted external exchanges, and worked to expand converging interests and forge maximum synergy with all countries. We have maintained overall stability in our relations with other major countries. General Secretary Xi Jinping met with Russian President Putin three times, further deepening China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination; he had in-depth exchanges with leaders of various European countries, paving the way for the sound and stable development of China-Europe relations; and he met with President Biden and sent congratulatory message to then President-Elect Trump, providing strategic guidance for the China-U.S. relationship at critical junctures. We have joined hands with neighboring countries to foster a peaceful, safe and secure, prosperous, beautiful, amicable and harmonious Asian home. The China-ASEAN comprehensive strategic partnership has maintained strong momentum. The comprehensive strategic cooperation between China and the five Central Asian countries has been upgraded. The leaders of China and India reached agreement on bringing bilateral relations back to the track of stable development. China and Japan reaffirmed their commitment to promoting the China-Japan strategic relationship of mutual benefit in an all-round way. We have rallied powerful force of the Global South in seeking strength through unity. General Secretary Xi Jinping called for more open and inclusive Global South cooperation, announced eight measures in support of Global South cooperation, and reached consensus with other leaders on bringing more partners into the BRICS family to make it a primary channel for strengthening solidarity and cooperation among Global South nations. China also jointly adopted the Beijing Declaration on Jointly Building an All-Weather China-Africa Community with a Shared Future for the New Era and the Beijing Action Plan (2025-2027) of FOCAC with African countries, established “five cooperation frameworks” with Arab states, further aligned its development strategies with Latin American and Caribbean countries, and continuously expanded its cooperation with Pacific island countries, all with the aim of empowering the Global South across all dimensions.
The dividends of Chinese modernization have been further unleashed, providing an inexhaustible driving force for building a community with a shared future for mankind. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out that China’s development needs openness to the world, and the world’s prosperity needs contribution from China. Over the past year, we have linked our own development with that of other countries. We have joined forces with the international community to pursue peaceful development, mutually beneficial cooperation and shared prosperity.
On what kind of modernization should be pursued, a question of historic significance, General Secretary Xi Jinping articulated at the FOCAC Beijing Summit the need to join hands in advancing modernization that is just and equitable, open and win-win, that puts the people first, that features diversity and inclusiveness, and that is eco-friendly and underpinned by peace and security. This has helped to point the direction for the modernization of countries around the world.
In response to the pressing need for faster development in many countries, China has announced eight actions for global development, which include solid steps to deepen high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. To date, 155 countries have participated in Belt and Road cooperation. Trade between China and these countries grew by 6.4 percent in 2024 against headwinds. The Belt and Road Initiative has indeed become a road to happiness that benefits the wider world.
In the face of growing protectionism, China stays committed to expanding high-standard opening up. It has fully opened up the manufacturing sector, given all the least developed countries having diplomatic ties with China zero-tariff treatment for 100 percent tariff lines, and continued to refine policies for foreigners traveling to China. All these are steps to bring everyone onboard to share in China’s development. China has also taken proactive steps to align with high-standard international trade rules, implement the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), and invigorate the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP) process. These are examples of China’s steadfast commitment to advancing trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, which will create new momentum for global growth.
Joint efforts are made to reform and refine the global governance system, accumulating more tangible outcomes for building a community with a shared future for mankind. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out that building a community with a shared future for mankind does not mean replacing one system with another or one civilization with another. Rather, it aims at enabling countries with different social systems, ideologies, history, cultures and levels of development to pursue common interests, uphold shared rights, and fulfill common responsibilities in international affairs in order to pool the greatest efforts possible to build a better world.
Over the past year, China has continued practicing true multilateralism. Guided by the principle of consultation and contribution for shared benefit, it has worked actively to provide global public goods to enable all countries to achieve development, security and prosperity together. At the G20 Summit in Rio, General Secretary Xi Jinping comprehensively and systematically articulated China’s vision for global governance. Such vision is grounded in the long trajectory of history and aims at creating a bright future for humanity. It includes proposals to improve global governance on five dimensions spanning economic, financial, trade, digital, and ecological domains, helping to guide efforts to practice true multilateralism.
China has stepped up efforts to deliver on the three major initiatives it has proposed, namely the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the Global Security Initiative (GSI) and the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI). Eighty-two countries have joined the Group of Friends of the GDI, 119 countries and international organizations have expressed support for the GSI, and the 78th session of the U.N. General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution establishing an International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. All these are important underpinnings for the endeavor to build a community with a shared future for mankind. China has actively facilitated the political settlement of hotspot issues such as the Ukraine crisis and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, making China’s contributions to restoring peace and saving lives.
Over the past year, the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind has been supported and echoed by a growing number of countries worldwide. The vision has become a grand cause galvanizing extensive, joint efforts from various parties. China and Brazil have announced efforts to build a China-Brazil community with a shared future for a more just world and a more sustainable planet, an example of how major emerging countries shoulder their responsibilities. China and Serbia have launched efforts to build a China-Serbia community with a shared future in the new era, the first of its kind between China and a European country. Globally, more countries are joining forces to build a community with a shared future. Notably, China and all African countries with which it has diplomatic relations have agreed to build an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era, reflecting the shared desire of over 2.8 billion people in China and Africa to stand shoulder to shoulder through thick and thin. For eight years running, the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind has been incorporated in UNGA resolutions. The core tenets of this vision has been included in the U.N.’s Pact for the Future. The vision has increasingly become a signature global public good for all countries to share.
II
Looking back on the momentous diplomatic journey over the past year, major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics has entered a new stage where much more can be accomplished. China’s influence, appeal, and power to shape as a responsible and constructive major country have reached new heights. The important vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind has not only taken China’s diplomacy forward in great strides, but increasingly won the hearts and minds of the international community. It has become a shining banner driving the progress of the times, and demonstrated the great power of ideas to influence the course of world history.
Standing at the forefront of the times, a community with a shared future for mankind is of great contemporary value. The current international situation is fraught with turbulence. Global challenges emerge one after another. Human society once again stands at a historical crossroads. Faced with rising geopolitical conflict, unilateral action and protectionism, and increasing traditional and nontraditional security threats, it is imperative that countries take collective action. General Secretary Xi Jinping has clearly pointed out that there is only one Earth in the universe and we mankind have only one home. Countries are not riding separately in some 190 small boats, but are rather all in a giant ship on which our shared destiny hinges. In the face of risks and challenges, no country can remain unscathed. Solidarity, cooperation, openness and inclusiveness are the right path for humanity. Countries should see each other’s development as opportunities rather than challenges, and treat each other as partners rather than rivals. Global solidarity, cooperation and mutual benefit should become the main theme of the times. As changes unseen in a century accelerate across the world, it is all the more important that countries rise above estrangement and conflict with a broad vision, and care for the future of humanity with great passion. Together, we should practice friendship and cooperation, promote mutual learning among cultures, and build a community with a shared future for mankind, in order to jointly create a better future for the world.
Advancing with the times, a community with a shared future for mankind has become a better-established scientific system. In 2013, General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind for the first time at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations. In 2015, during the General Debate of the 70th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, he clarified the pathway for realizing a community with a shared future for mankind. In 2017, in his speech at the United Nations Office at Geneva, he put forward the goal of building an open, inclusive, clean, and beautiful world of lasting peace, universal security and shared prosperity. By systematically expounding this important vision at various international occasions, he took global understanding of this vision to deeper levels. At the Central Conference on Work Relating to Foreign Affairs in 2023, General Secretary Xi Jinping defined the pillars of building a community with a shared future for mankind as a scientific system: The goal is to build an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world of lasting peace, universal security and shared prosperity; the pathway is promoting global governance that features extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefit; the guiding principle is to apply the common values of humanity; the basic underpinning lies in building a new type of international relations; the strategic guidance comes from the implementation of the GDI, the GSI and the GCI; and the platform for action is high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. On this basis, we seek to bring countries together to meet challenges and achieve prosperity for all. The abovementioned important statements not only constitute the top-level design of China’s diplomatic strategy on the new journey, but also point the way toward a bright future of peace, security, prosperity and progress for our world.
Pooling global consensus, a community with a shared future for mankind is being practiced in wider areas at a faster pace. Building a community with a shared future for mankind has developed from a Chinese initiative to an international consensus, and from a promising vision to substantive actions. It is driving positive and profound changes in the world today. At the bilateral level, the building of a community with a shared future began with China’s neighboring countries and gradually expanded to the world. To date, dozens of countries have issued action plans or joint statements, or reached important common understandings with China on building communities with a shared future at the bilateral level. Together they have strengthened the progressive trend of building a new type of international relations. At the regional level, the building of a community with a shared future has covered regions where developing countries concentrate, such as the Indochina Peninsula, Central Asia, ASEAN, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Arab countries, and Pacific Island countries, and cooperation mechanisms such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. This has provided strong momentum for regional cooperation. At the global level, multilateral cooperation has steadily advanced in building a global community of health for all, a community of shared future in cyberspace, a community of life for man and nature, a global community of development, and a global community of security for all. These efforts have fostered strong international synergy in meeting challenges and creating a better future together.
Integrating the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities and fine traditional culture, a community with a shared future for mankind has its distinct theoretical property. The concept is an important reflection of the original aspiration and founding mission of the CPC. It fully demonstrates that the CPC is a party dedicated to pursuing happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation, as well as a party committed to promoting human progress and world harmony. It highlights the inherent internationalist spirit and global vision of the world’s largest Marxist governing party. The concept represents an inheritance and innovation of China’s fine traditional culture. It endows traditional ideas such as “universal harmony” and “harmonious coexistence among nations” with contemporary significance, exemplifying the peaceful, inclusive and innovative nature of Chinese civilization and shining with the brilliance of progress and wisdom. The concept is a continuation and elevation of the fine traditions of New China’s diplomacy. It is both in line with and evolving from the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, showcasing distinct Chinese characteristics, style and ethos in our diplomacy in the new era. The concept is also a sublation and transcendence of old international relations theories. It transcends differences in social systems and ideologies, embraces variations in history, culture and development stage, and provides a fundamental path for humanity to address global challenges, thus opening up a new horizon for the evolution of international relations in the 21st century.
III
General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out that building a community with a shared future for mankind is a noble goal, one that requires the sustained efforts of successive generations, passing the baton from one generation to the next. China is ready to rise to this historical mission with all countries, and work tirelessly and courageously together for the realization of this lofty goal.
China is ready to work with all countries to consolidate the foundation for world peace. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. China will join forces with all parties to promote a correct view of World War II history and safeguard the hard-won fruits of victory that our forebears have sacrificed their lives for. We will actively implement the GSI, apply the Chinese approach to resolving hotspot issues, and continue China’s constructive role in facilitating the political settlement of hotspot issues.
China is ready to work with all countries to sing the chorus of open development. We will resolutely expand high-standard opening up, deliver on the eight major steps under high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and leverage the positive role of platforms such as the Boao Forum for Asia, the Annual Meeting of the New Champions, and the China International Import Expo. Through these efforts, China will continuously provide new opportunities for global development through achievements in Chinese modernization. We will also advance the building of a Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific, uphold the global free trade system, and safeguard the stability and smooth operation of the global industrial and supply chains. We will actively implement the GDI to promote common development and prosperity of all countries.
China is ready to work with all countries to expand the ranks of those supporting friendship and cooperation. We will promote coordination and positive interactions among major countries, strive for the steady, sound and sustainable development of China-U.S. relations, consolidate China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era, and guide a steady progress in China-EU relations toward independence, mutual success and benefit to the world. We will deepen friendship, mutual trust and convergence of interests with neighboring countries, implement the ten partnership actions for modernization with Africa, advance the “five cooperation frameworks” under China-Arab cooperation at a faster pace, and use the 10th anniversary of the China-CELAC Forum to open up a new chapter of cooperation with Latin American and Caribbean countries.
China is ready to work with all countries to put our belief in multilateralism into action. We will join all parties in reaffirming the founding purposes and mission of the U.N., firmly safeguard the authority and role of the U.N., and advocate an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization. We will meticulously plan the China Year of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to elevate regional cooperation to a new level. We also support Brazil and South Africa in hosting the BRICS Summit and the G20 Summit, to amplify the voice of the Global South and provide more public goods for the world.
China is ready to work with all countries to build bridges for communication. We will host the 9th Asian Winter Games at a high standard, and let the world experience the vibrance of a diverse China through ice and snow sports. We will continue to facilitate visits to China, and expand the two-way exchanges between the Chinese people and people elsewhere. We will promote the common values of humanity, implement the GCI, and foster closer bonds and better understanding among people of all countries.
The era calls for commitment, and hard work shapes the future. Facing the new circumstances and new tasks, China’s diplomatic service will continue to follow the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for the New Era, Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy in particular, hold high the banner of building a community with a shared future for mankind, continue to navigate the currents of history, champion justice, and follow the righteous path, and make even greater contributions to the cause of peace and progress of humanity.