China's Approach to Reforming Global Governance: Renovate, Not Reinvent

BEIJING, June 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report from China.org.cn on the Chinese government's white paper on global governance:

For years, China has actively pushed forward reforms to the global governance architecture. Proposed in 2025, the Global Governance Initiative (GGI) won support and positive responses from close to 160 countries and international organizations in under a year.

In 1945, after drawing profound lessons from the two world wars, the international community opted for multilateralism and founded the United Nations. The core spirit enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations covers sovereign equality, opposition to hegemonism, non-interference in internal affairs, and settlement of disputes by peaceful means. For over eight decades, this UN-centered international system has indispensably underpinned humanity's progress.

Yet today, the system is severely strained by overlapping crises. The prevailing global governance architecture is increasingly ill-suited and mismatched to evolving times and shifting global dynamics.

China has no intention of redesigning a brand-new system from scratch. Instead, it aims to refine the existing global governance framework to align with evolving realities and fully translate the purposes and principles of the UN Charter into tangible action.

China has put forward a systematic reform roadmap—the GGI unveiled at the 2025 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Tianjin Summit. Its core tenets are sovereign equality, international rule of law, multilateralism, a people-centered approach, and real actions. These principles are fully consistent with the tenets of the UN Charter and target the root causes of multiple crises, explaining why the initiative has rapidly garnered broad consensus.

More importantly, China walks the talk in spearheading multilateralism and global governance reform.

On universal and common security, China brokered the reconciliation and restoration of diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran, triggering a wave of rapprochement across the Middle East. China also co-launched a five-point peace initiative with Pakistan to facilitate the conclusion of a first-stage memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran.

On open cooperation, China has set up 23 pilot free trade zones, built platforms such as the China International Import Expo and China International Supply Chain Expo, and rolled out zero-tariff policies for all diplomatic partners that are least developed countries or African nations.

On empowering the Global South, China has supported the development and expansion of the BRICS grouping and the SCO, and backed the African Union's admission to the G20.

On global public goods, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank has approved more than 320 projects with cumulative financing surpassing 60 billion U.S. dollars. The Global AI Governance Initiative promotes the ethical, inclusive and beneficial development of artificial intelligence worldwide.

China was the very first signatory to the UN Charter. Just recently, the Chinese government issued a white paper on global governance, clarifying that advancing the Global Governance Initiative demands unwavering commitment to safeguarding the UN-centered international system, instead of reinventing the wheel.

Tearing down the existing "house" of global governance is never China's approach. What China advocates is joining hands with all nations in reinforcing this edifice, patching up its cracks, and turning it into a shelter for more peoples. This stance adheres firmly to the tenets of the UN Charter and responds to the universal aspiration of all peoples for fairness and justice.

China Mosaic
http://chinamosaic.china.com.cn/

SOURCE China.org.cn