Why APEC's success needs China's Global Governance Initiative

Editor's note: This year's APEC Economic Leaders' Week kicked off in South Korea, with "Building a Sustainable Future: Connectivity, Innovation, and Prosperity" as its theme. CGTN has launched a special series "Asia-Pacific Synergy: Charting a Sustainable Future" to explore how regional economies can connect, innovate, and prosper. The fifth essay focuses on China's contribution.

Xin Ge, a special commentator for CGTN, is a research fellow at the Institute of Public Policy and Governance, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics (SUFE), and a chair associate professor at the School of Public Administration and Policy, SUFE. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

The 2025 APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in the Republic of Korea, themed "Building a Sustainable Future: Connectivity, Innovation and Prosperity," reflects the region's collective desire for high-quality and inclusive development. Scholars and policymakers widely recognize the Asia-Pacific's role in promoting global stability and China, as a central stakeholder, has long been committed to its success.

This commitment is especially relevant as the region looks ahead to 2026, when China is set to assume the APEC chairmanship. Anticipation is high for its leadership, built on a strong record of contributions to regional prosperity and its concrete proposals for inclusive development.

In this high-stakes environment, China's introduction of its Global Governance Initiative (GGI) is more than just a diplomatic maneuver. Building on its previous proposals for global development, security and civilization, the GGI is a pragmatic framework for reforming global governance. Its striking alignment with APEC's goals – and the concrete opportunities it presents – deserves close examination.

The current global framework is grappling with a profound governance deficit. Existing institutions are buckling under the strain of shifting power dynamics, leading to institutional gridlock, vast representation gaps and a widening development divide, all of which are inflamed by geopolitical tensions.

For the Asia-Pacific, the fallout is clear. While pursuing deeper integration, the region faces the digital divide, the existential threat of climate change, persistent supply chain vulnerabilities, and the corrosive rise of protectionism. This reality demands a more inclusive and more effective structure.

China's GGI directly confronts this deficit. By advocating for genuine multilateralism, respecting national sovereignty and championing diverse development paths, it aims to rebalance the global system toward greater fairness. For an Asia-Pacific economy built on openness, the GGI provides a crucial institutional bulwark to defend that openness, mitigate "decoupling" risks and counter the unilateral pressures that threaten to fragment the region.

The GGI's true resonance is found in its direct alignment with the APEC 2025 theme, offering a tangible blueprint to empower these three pillars.

First, the GGI champions "connectivity" by advancing deeper regional integration. Its emphasis on international law and true multilateralism strengthens the legitimacy and effectiveness of frameworks like APEC and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), facilitating the dismantlement of trade barriers.

In concert with the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the GGI focuses on both "hard" and "soft" connectivity. We see the "hard" aspect in flagship Belt and Road Initiative projects, such as the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway, which physically integrates ASEAN. The GGI provides the "soft" governance framework – the rules and standards – to make such integration seamless. By advocating for resilient supply chains built on diversification, not exclusive blocs, it offers a tangible alternative to the decoupling narrative.

Now consider "Innovation." The GGI architects a path for inclusive and sustainable progress. It prioritizes governance in frontier fields, including the digital economy, data security and artificial intelligence. This isn't just talk. China is already APEC's digital leader, with its digital economy accounting for over 41 percent of its GDP in 2022. Its proposal for inclusive digital rules – opposing technological hegemony – is a direct appeal to developing nations eager to join the digital revolution.

Furthermore, the GGI's call for climate cooperation is backed by material force. In 2023 alone, China's investment in clean energy (solar, wind, EVs) topped $890 billion according to Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air, a figure that dwarfs the rest of the world combined. This provides a powerful, proven model for achieving APEC's "sustainable future."

Finally, the GGI fortifies the foundation for shared "Prosperity" by promoting a more equitable economic order. A core tenet of the GGI is the imperative of reforming global economic governance to enhance the representation and voice of developing and emerging economies. This is the principle behind China-founded institutions like the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), which has already approved hundreds of projects focused on sustainable infrastructure across the region.

Moreover, through the GDI, China leverages its own historic success – lifting nearly 800 million people out of extreme poverty – as a replicable model rather than a rigid mandate. This commitment to bridging the development deficit directly builds a robust foundation for collective prosperity.

The GGI, therefore, is not a strategy in a vacuum. It is China's answer to shared human challenges, drawn from its own rapid development. It aligns squarely with the APEC theme because it provides a mechanism to achieve connectivity, innovation, and prosperity. It elevates the voice of Asia-Pacific nations, champions an open regionalism as a vital antidote to geopolitical confrontation, and provides proven governance models – from poverty eradication to green industrial policy – that regional states can adapt.

For its neighbors, the GGI is a clear demonstration that China is actively working to build a fairer and more sustainable global environment for all. The Asia-Pacific's future is one of integration, not fragmentation. By actively engaging with the GGI, the region can build a more stable and open future, contributing its unique wisdom to a genuinely shared global community.

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