The Global Governance Initiative (GGI) reflects China's clear assessment and policy response to the current international situation at the political and security level, and it contributes Chinese wisdom and a stabilizing force to resolving international security dilemmas, an expert has said.

During an exclusive interview with CGTN, Cui Zheng, director of the Research Center for Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asian Countries at Liaoning University, said the original aim of the proposal is to advocate for a new vision of security centered on cooperation rather than confrontation.

China proposed the GGI during the recently held Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit 2025, marking another important public good that China has shared with the world to promote building a more just and reasonable global governance system.

It is the fourth landmark global initiative proposed by China, following the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative.

Why China proposed the GGI

Cui said that with the Cold War mentality and bloc confrontation reemerging, some countries are keen to establish closed and exclusive "small circles," leading to a resurgence of zero-sum games.

Meanwhile, some major countries apply double standards and use or discard international rules whenever they see fit. Unilateralism and power politics are impacting the international system with the UN at its core, resulting in a clear trend of weakening global security mechanisms, Cui noted.

Faced with a growing "security deficit," China has recognized the importance of collective security and cooperative governance, he said. "Against this political and security backdrop, China has proposed the GGI, which encompasses five key principles of adhering to sovereign equality, abiding by international rule of law, practicing multilateralism, advocating the people-centered approach, and focusing on taking real actions."

The proposal reflects China's clear assessment and policy response to the current international situation at the political and security level, with the original aspiration being to advocate for a new vision of security centered on cooperation rather than confrontation, Cui said.

Meanwhile, from the economic sphere, global governance also faces severe challenges, he said, noting that economic globalization is encountering headwinds, with the world economy experiencing a weak and unbalanced recovery, marked by prominent structural difficulties such as low growth, high debt and high inflation, as well as the widening North-South development gap.

Cui said the original intention of the GGI in the context of economic development is to rectify governance imbalances, resist protectionism, and promote the establishment of a more inclusive and balanced economic governance system, thereby creating favorable conditions for both its own and global development.

How to decifer the five key principles?

Elaborating on the five key principles of the GGI, Cui said upholding sovereign equality is the cornerstone of modern international law. Meanwhile, safeguarding the international rule of law, with the UN Charter at its core, is the fundamental guarantee for global governance, and practicing multilateralism is the essential pathway to addressing global challenges.

He added that advocating for a people-centered approach emphasizes that global governance should take the well-being of all peoples as its starting point and ultimate goal. He said focusing on action-oriented implementation means that global governance must prioritize execution and tackle global issues with concrete results rather than mere diplomatic rhetoric.

Notably, "abiding by international rule of law" and "practicing multilateralism" can be regarded as the most lacking yet crucial principles of the current global governance system.

"Together, they point to one direction: building a just and collaborative international order," he said.

The expert said it is not only a general trend globally but also the common expectation of the vast majority of countries.

Without sovereign equality, there can be no true multilateralism and exclusivity, he said, adding that without a people-centered approach and action-oriented implementation, global governance loses its value and purpose, and that cooperative commitments cannot be translated into tangible outcomes.

"Only through coordinated advancement can a durable and effective governance system be built," Cui said.

These principles serve as a key step in overcoming the difficulties of global governance and moving toward a community with a shared future for humanity, he added.