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More than 150 world leaders have convened for the 77th United Nations General Assembly in New York City this week, which will be their first face-to-face gathering at UN Headquarters after two years on account of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, the geopolitical trends are blowing harder in the direction of a new Cold War since the Western powers, including the United States, United Kingdom and European Union, have taken tougher stands on the diplomatic and economic fronts to oppose Russia, China, Iran, as well as other countries not closely aligned with the U.S.-led global world order.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned last week that it's a moment of "great peril" and emphasized the growing concerns over how "geostrategic divides are the widest they have been since at least the Cold War."

Nonetheless, it's the first anniversary since Chinese President Xi Jinping introduced the Global Development Initiative (GDI) at the 76th UNGA, which called on greater global efforts to promote development, strengthen international development cooperation and go fast forward on the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Accordingly, China is offering a grand solution to avert an impending new Cold War.

Seeking economic answers for diplomatic questions

The GDI could serve as an effective platform to lift up the developing nations to enjoy greater prosperity while showing how countries, despite being conflicted by their differences and occasional rivalries, can still find ways to collaborate and overcome their divisions in order to embark on win-win benefits. By acting as a global model of cooperation, this is needed now more than ever before.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict has had a deep impact on the European continent while exacerbating food and energy shortages worldwide; along with problems of surging inflation rates for many countries. It's widely believed that the international economy is headed toward recessionary conditions. Therefore, China's GDI can mitigate these challenges if more nations stand behind it.

For the moment, about 100 countries expressed support and 50 nation states have formally joined the "Group of Friends of the GDI," while China and the United Nations have partnered up.

According to a press release from China's Foreign Ministry, "China has accumulated rich experience in poverty alleviation and elimination, human resources development, protection of the rights and interests of women and children, health care and green and open development."

The GDI can serve as a ray of hope for all other nations as our present-day society has gotten embroiled by major military conflicts, more extreme weather patterns due to climate change and about 50 million people stand on the brink of starvation in 45 countries with an estimated 19,700 people dying from hunger daily on average.

Apparently, the U.S.-led globalist order has not resolved our current problems, so there's a more urgent need for a more multi-polar society in order that more voices can be heard and new solutions can be found, such as implementing the GDI on the world stage.

More dialogue needed to embrace peace

The theme of this year's UN General Assembly is "A watershed moment: transformative solutions to interlocking challenges."

Guterres added in his speech at the UNGA that the gathering was occurring "at a time of great peril," with the world "blighted by war, battered by climate chaos, scarred by hate, and shamed by poverty, hunger, and inequality."

Well, the first path to finding proper solutions to resolve complex diplomatic problems would be to make a call for dialogue, which is needed first and foremost. Additionally, all member states of the UN deserve to be heard, including the smaller ones. Hence, China's GDI shows that acting generous to developing countries can create more peaceful conditions for our world.

As fears keep growing over a new Cold War emerging, sovereign governments across the globe must find ways to talk to each other even if they are confronting bitter rivalries against each other. There's just no other way to move forward.

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