Editor's note: Liao Fan is deputy director-general and a senior fellow at the Bureau of International Cooperation, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. This is the seventh piece of our "China's view of democracy" series. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

Today, the interests, aspirations and destinies of all members of human society are unprecedentedly intertwined. In the face of common challenges such as climate change, public health crises and terrorism, "no country alone can address the many challenges facing mankind; no country can afford to retreat into self-isolation." Building a community with a shared future for mankind is a new solution to global governance offered by China in the new era. It is also the right choice to be made by mankind to move toward a brighter future.

At the heart of the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind is the belief that "the world is one family." This kind of belief derives from celebrated elements of Chinese traditional culture. Since ancient times, China has been known for its pursuit of a just cause for common good, the fraternal spirit of its people, and the ideal of building harmony and cohesiveness in the world. The concept of a community with a shared future for mankind has been a product of China's 5,000-year-old culture.

As early as the beginning of the People's Republic of China, the country's founding fathers set the ambition that "China should make a greater contribution to mankind." In the present era, China still considers it its mission and honor to make new and greater contributions to mankind. Building a community with a shared future for mankind is a crystallization of this global vision, ambition and open-mindedness. 

This concept calls for building a world with lasting peace, universal security, common prosperity, openness, inclusiveness, and a clean and beautiful environment. It is the highest common interest for people of all countries who aspire for a better life. It is also the highest common interest for countries around the world in their pursuit of development and prosperity.

Promoting the democratization of international relations

A community with a shared future for mankind is not only a community of shared interests and risks, but also a community of shared responsibilities and values. Peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy and freedom are the values shared by all mankind. We should vigorously promote democracy as a common value of all mankind and promote the democratization of international relations.

The word "democracy" is derived from the Greek word "demokratia," which is a compound of "demos" (people) and "kratos" (mastery, in control), meaning that people are the masters who are in control. The original intention of democracy is "the rule of the majority," and at the heart of democracy lies the tenet that the people are the masters of their own country. 

"The true meaning of people's democracy is that people's matters are widely consulted for the greatest common denominator that suits the will of the whole society." In the context of the international community, it means implementing the principle of sovereign equality, practicing multilateralism, and promoting the democratization of international relations.

The principle of sovereign equality is the most important basic principle in international relations. Sovereign states are equal regardless of their size, strength and wealth, and all have the right to determine their own internal affairs and choose their own path of development. Democracy is the right of all peoples, not a patent held by a few countries. Whether a country is democratic or not should be judged by the people of that country, not by outsiders. 

Whether a country in the international community is democratic or not should be judged by the international community as a whole, not by a few self-righteous countries. Some countries regard themselves as "preachers" of democracy, and regard their own models of "democracy" as the highest standards. They are finger-pointing, judging, and even interfering in the domestic affairs of other countries. This is essentially political prejudice and a manifestation of hegemony and power politics. It runs counter to the democratic spirit of the international community.

China has always advocated the democratization of international relations. China pursues an independent foreign policy, adheres to the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, upholds fairness and justice, and always stands on the side of the majority of developing countries. China takes a balanced approach to national interests and common good, pursues mutual benefit and common development. It has never created so-called "debt traps" in disregard of the capacity of other countries, nor has it unilaterally attached political conditions to economic activities or foreign aid. 

China promotes the eco-friendly concept of "clear waters and green mountains are as valuable as mountains of gold and silver." China solemnly puts forward the dual goals of carbon emission peak and carbon neutrality, demonstrating a highly responsible attitude to human society. The Chinese government encourages and urges Chinese enterprises to fulfill their social responsibilities towards environmental protection with regard to their overseas operations. These are clear positions and practical measures to promote the democratization of international relations.

Building a community with a shared future for mankind via the Belt and Road Initiative

The Belt and Road Initiative is a major step for implementing the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind. It is committed to promoting cooperation among countries to achieve mutually beneficial and shared development. In the eight years since the initiative was put forward, China has signed more than 200 cooperation documents with 140 countries and 32 international organizations to build the "Belt and Road," and established more than 90 bilateral cooperation mechanisms.

The Belt and Road Initiative not only connects the Asia-Pacific and European economies, but also includes Africa and Latin America. Being the most extensive international cooperation platform, it has been built to be the world's largest economic cooperative mechanism. From 2013 to 2020, China's trade in goods with countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative exceeded $9.2 trillion, and these countries' share in China's foreign trade increased by 4.1 percentage points.

At the same time, China's cumulative direct investment in these countries reached $136 billion, while 27,000 new enterprises have been set up in China by countries along the routes with an actual investment of about $60 billion.

The principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits in the development of the "Belt and Road" is a powerful testament to the spirit of democracy. True democracy must be concrete rather than abstract, and is about walking the talk rather than just talking the talk. 

China adheres to the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, promotes the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative, and has launched a large number of cooperation projects that can drive the economic development and improvement of people's livelihoods in countries along the trade routes. As a result, the Belt and Road Initiative has become a popular international public good and an international cooperation platform.

Guided by the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, the Belt and Road Initiative takes infrastructure connectivity as the key building block, regards the alignment of rules and standards as the key supportive factor, and treats friendship with people in different countries as the important foundation. 

Notable achievements have been made: Kenya's Mombasa-Nairobi Railway, Cambodia's Lower Se-San River II Hydropower Station, China-Maldives Friendship Bridge… all these power stations, bridges, roads and railways have become a crucial part of local energy and transportation infrastructures; moreover, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, China-Belarus Industrial Park, China-Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone… all these special economic zones, industrial parks, and economic corridors have injected strong momentum into the economic development of developing countries.

"Fear not the want of armor, for mine is also yours to wear." Over the past eight years, China has built an extensive "circle of friends" through the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative. In this process, China, along with other participating countries, has explored new ways to promote common development, and achieved mutual benefits and win-win results between China and its partners. Progress has been made in promoting peace, prosperity, openness, green tech, innovation and cultural exchange between China and countries along the trade routes. 

Under the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, a global partnership characterized by greater interconnection is made possible through the Belt and Road Initiative. It is an inclusive and forward-looking international cooperation model and global governance model, which will undoubtedly further promote the democratization of international relations and the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

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