Why China's governance philosophy resonates globally

Editor's note: Liu Hongsong, a special commentator for CGTN, is a professor in the School of International and Public Affairs at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

In recent years, some Western scholars and media have persistently fabricated distorted narratives about the Communist Party of China (CPC), slapping labels such as "coercive diplomacy," "debt trap," and "neocolonialism" on China, stigmatizing its normal foreign cooperation as geopolitical expansion, hyping the Taiwan question and the South China Sea to exaggerate the "China threat theory."

These negative narratives contain two major flaws. First, they deliberately distort the nature of China's international cooperation. Some Western scholars have put forward the notion of "China's coercive diplomacy," claiming that China uses infrastructure investments – such as railways, ports, and telecommunications – to tie developing countries to its agenda, establish strategic footholds in Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East, and squeeze out the West's traditional geopolitical space. This rhetoric completely ignores the equal nature of such cooperation: All of China's overseas infrastructure projects adhere to the principles of voluntary negotiation and equal contracting; partners retain full sovereign autonomy in their choices; project benefits are shared by both partners; and there are no additional provisions regarding political coercion.

Second, they fabricate false narratives such as "debt trap diplomacy" and "neocolonialism." While the West has long relied on non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the export of films and cultural content, and educational exchanges to promote the infiltration of its values, and has been associated with "color revolutions" to overthrow the governments of sovereign states, China has never sought to impose its model on others or create dependency.

Western prejudice and smear campaigns cannot obscure the facts. They stand in sharp contrast to the growing global recognition of China. This points to an important question: Why does the CPC continue to gain increasingly broad and solid global recognition? The answer lies in China's distinctive model of governance rooted in the Party's consistent adherence to diplomatic values, its inclusive and mutually-beneficial practices of international cooperation, and its global responsibility.

China's diplomacy under the leadership of the CPC has always upheld respect for sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs as unshakable fundamental principles. These are the core values that enable China to earn the trust of other nations, engage in international mediation, and build broad partnerships. The reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran in March 2023 stands as one of the most compelling proofs of this, when the two countries reached a historic reconciliation in Beijing, opening a new path for conflict mitigation and autonomous dispute resolution in the Middle East.

China's ability to serve as a mediator trusted by both sides stems primarily from three unique advantages that distinguish it from the West.

First, Chinese diplomacy strictly adheres to the principle of non-interference in internal affairs, fully respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of both countries, as well as their independently chosen social systems and development paths. It never forces either side to take sides, never exports ideology, and never takes sides with either party, naturally endowing it with the institutional advantage of neutral mediation. In contrast, Western countries' intervention in the Middle East's affairs has long involved supporting proxies and dividing the region into camps, constantly exacerbating sectarian conflicts and regional confrontations, thereby prolonging the turmoil.

Second, China's core objective in the Middle East is shared development, not the pursuit of geopolitical hegemony or the carving out of spheres of influence. China's engagement with Saudi Arabia and Iran focuses on economic sectors such as energy trade, infrastructure, and green industries; it has no self-interest in seeking regional dominance, and these countries need not worry that China will use cooperation as a pretext to interfere in their internal affairs.

Third, through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China has established comprehensive and equal partnerships with Middle Eastern countries. Regardless of a country's size, sect, or political system, all can engage in cooperation with China on an equal footing, forming a solid foundation of mutual trust.

Under the coordinated leadership of the CPC, the BRI and the Global Development Initiative (GDI) have delivered a vast number of projects that improve people's livelihoods, covering key areas such as infrastructure, healthcare, food security, energy, and climate action, from which countless ordinary people have benefited.

The BRI takes the people's aspiration for a better life as its starting point, rejecting extensive cooperation models that serve only the elite and focusing instead on the urgent needs and concerns of ordinary people. It has built a number of landmark projects around the world that have transformed local lives. For example, the Dasher Gandhi Sewage Treatment Plant in Bangladesh has completely resolved the problems of sewage overflow and water pollution in the capital, Dhaka, improving the living environment for millions of residents; the Puttalam Power Station in Sri Lanka ensures a stable supply of electricity, ending the long-standing power outages in some regions; a small, community-friendly bridge in Kiribati has opened up daily travel routes for residents; and the "Access to Satellite TV for 10,000 African Villages Project", covering multiple African countries, has enabled people in remote rural areas to access information from the outside world, thereby narrowing the digital divide.

Over the past decade, BRI cooperation has generated hundreds of thousands of local jobs and contributed to economic development across participating countries. By the end of 2022, Chinese enterprises' investments had created 421,000 local jobs, with more than 3,000 projects being implemented, fostering local industrial chains, and driving the steady progress of industrialization and urbanization in countries along the route. These projects come with no political strings attached; they are purely aimed at improving people's livelihoods and promoting shared development, earning the genuine goodwill of people across these nations.

By 2025, under the GDI framework, China had mobilized nearly $20 billion in development funding and implemented over 1,100 cooperative projects, focusing on core issues such as food security, soil management, poverty alleviation, and rural development, thereby precisely addressing the most pressing development needs of developing countries.

In Uganda, China partnered with the United Nations to carry out a sustainable soil management project, training local farmers to improve their farming practices and enhance food self-sufficiency; in the Amazon Rainforest of Brazil, China and Brazil joined forces to advance the restoration of degraded soils, balancing ecological conservation with sustainable agricultural development, and reconciling economic growth with climate protection. In the field of food security, China's hybrid rice technology has taken root in more than 20 African countries, significantly boosting local grain production, alleviating the risk of famine, and helping numerous nations achieve food self-sufficiency.

Faced with mounting global challenges, the CPC, drawing on the practice of Chinese-style modernization, has successively put forward the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative, and the Global Governance Initiative.

Together, these initiatives have formed a comprehensive, systematic, and viable governance framework, offering a fresh alternative for human society and resonating deeply with the vast majority of developing countries. Through sustained and practical cooperation, the CPC will continue to garner broader international support and work hand in hand with countries around the world to build a community with a shared future for humanity.

(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com. Follow @thouse_opinions on X to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.)