Common Challenges Call for Joint Actions

The past month saw a flurry of international events whereChina’s commitment to a fair global governance， an open economyfor joint growth and lasting global peace， as well as commitmentto international cooperation for tackling common challenges，was highlighted.

“We should keep in mind that mankind lives in a communitywith a shared future， see each other's development as opportunitiesrather than challenges， and view each other as partnersrather than rivals，” President Xi Jinping said at the 19th G20 Summitin Brazil on November 18， calling for “working together for afair and equitable global governance system.” He also urged themember states to improve global governance and build a worldeconomy characterized by cooperation， stability， openness， innovation，and eco-friendliness.

In the middle of the third decade of the 21st century， theworld is till trapped in governance， trust， peace， and developmentdeficits. The Global Economic Prospects issued by theWorld Bank in June projected 2.6 percent global growth in 2024，lower than in 2023 and 2022. The overall global outlook remainssubdued by historical standards， set to underperform the 2010saverage in 60 percent of economies， according to the report. Factorslike geopolitical tensions， trade fragmentation， and climatedisasters are making downward risks loom large. The conflictbetween Ukraine and Russia still rages on. Some Western countrieswith confrontational mindsets have been slapping tariffsprejudicially， triggering trade frictions and impeding trade flow，further thwarting global development.

The Rio G20 Summit， negotiating “building a just world anda sustainable planet，” put fighting hunger and poverty at the topof the agenda. A Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty hasbeen launched to build a just world of common development.

“To build such a world， we need to channel more resourcesto such fields as trade， investment and development cooperation，and strengthen development institutions. There should bemore bridges of cooperation， and less ‘small yard， high fences，’ sothat more and more developing countries will be better off andachieve modernization，” Xi stressed.

The seventh China International Import Expo （CIIE）， held inShanghai in November， is a case in point. It showed China walkingthe talk to build an open economy and a bridge of cooperation.With US $80.01 billion worth of tentative deals reachedfor one-year purchases of goods and services， the seventh CIIEdrew 3，500 exhibitors from 129 countries and regions. The exposent the message that businesses worldwide can connect， forgepartnerships， and contribute to a more prosperous and intercon-nected global economy， said Rebeca Grynspan Mayufis， secretarygeneralof the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development，Xinhua reported.

The World Openness Report 2024 says China remains one ofthe bright spots in a globally declining landscape of openness.China's openness index rose from 0.6789 in 2008 to 0.7596 in 2023，one of the top economies in terms of growth rate. The CIIE hasbeen an occasion over the past seven years to witness the unveilingof China’s new policies to expand its opening up， includinglowering tariff and “scrapping all items in the manufacturingindustry on the national negative list for foreign investment.”

In November， another international gathering also drew globalattention. The 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to theUN Framework Convention on Climate Change （COP29） in Baku，Azerbaijan， gathered leaders from various sectors across theglobe to advance solutions to a common challenge of our time– climate change. For China， apart from displaying its determination，policies and actions for green transition and carbon dioxideemission reduction， it was also an occasion to advance its cooperationwith other countries in addressing the global threat.

On November 15， China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environmentsigned a memorandum of understanding （MoU） with Nigeria forbilateral cooperation， including jointly building a low-carbon developmentdemonstration zone in Nigeria and helping the Africancountry accelerate its green transition. According to official data，as of October 2024， China had signed 53 South-South cooperationMoUs on tackling climate change with 42 developing countries，and nearly 100 climate change mitigation and adaptation projectshave been implemented.

“China stands ready to continue to deepen internationalcooperation with all sides on green infrastructure， green energy，green mining and green transport， and will provide support todeveloping countries to the best of its ability，” Xi stressed at theG20 Summit.

Meanwhile， the world is still being ravaged by conflicts andpeaceful settlement is what war-torn regions need most. “Todeescalate the Ukraine crisis and seek a political settlement， weshould follow the principles of no expansion of the battlefields，no escalation of hostilities， and no fanning flames，” Xi said. Chinaand Brazil， together with other Global South countries， launchedthe group of "Friends for Peace" on the Ukraine crisis， aiming tobring together more advocates for peace.

As we come to the close of 2024， openness and solidarity iswhat we need to tackle the common challenges facing the wholeworld.