Xi's letter to dialogue marking GDI's 5th anniversary draws global acclaim

"Development is the eternal theme of human society and is key to promoting the well-being of humankind," Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a congratulatory letter to a high-level dialogue marking the fifth anniversary of the Global Development Initiative (GDI), held Friday at the UN headquarters in New York, United States.

The letter resonated widely with participants and observers worldwide, who said it demonstrates Xi's firm support for the global development cause. Five years on, they noted, the GDI has taken root and borne fruit, pooling strong synergy for common development.

In the letter, Xi recalled that he proposed the GDI at the UN General Assembly five years ago to advance global development cooperation, reinvigorate the global development cause, and help accelerate the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Over the past five years, with the joint efforts of all parties, the GDI has been widely implemented, with cooperation projects under the initiative taking root and yielding outcomes in more than 120 countries, writing a new chapter of common development and win-win cooperation, Xi noted.

'A cornerstone of transformative progress'

"The GDI has become a cornerstone of transformative progress and an outstanding example in the field of global governance," said Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who attended the dialogue and heard the letter read out.

Five years ago, he said, the landmark initiative came into being, offering a compelling framework for responding to global crises and for cooperation among countries. Xi's initiative, focused on people's well-being and sustainable development, has won broad recognition across the world.

"From President Xi's letter, we read a kind of leadership – the world needs this kind of leadership, one that upholds mutual respect and looks to global development," said E.P. Chet Greene, Antigua and Barbuda's minister of foreign affairs, trade and Barbuda affairs.

The GDI genuinely puts people at the center, Greene said, adding that without the initiative, the world today – the Global South in particular – would not be seeing the progress it has achieved.

'Not just a principle, but a practical tool for progress'

An important lesson from the GDI is that "development is not just a principle, but a practical tool for progress," said Abdoulkader Houssein Omar, Djibouti's minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation, who also attended the dialogue.

The expansion of the Group of Friends of the GDI, he added, demonstrates broad support for a development agenda rooted in solidarity, partnership and pragmatic action.

"More important than infrastructure is empowerment," said Robert Lawrence Kuhn, chairman of The Kuhn Foundation. In his view, the GDI has genuinely helped Global South countries build up their development capacity.

Under the GDI framework, Kuhn noted, many developing countries have drawn on China's development experience and gradually formed industrial systems suited to their own national conditions.

'Pooling strength for common development'

As the world's largest developing country and a member of the Global South, China stands ready to work with all parties to uphold a people-centered development philosophy, advance the GDI, turn the vision of the sustainable development goals into reality, and make new and greater contributions to building a community with a shared future for humanity, Xi said in the letter.

The call drew warm responses. Virdika Rizky Utama, executive director of Jakarta-based think tank PARA Syndicate, said the GDI has pushed the international community to place development at the core of the agenda, truly responding to the pressing needs of developing countries.

The changes the GDI has brought to Africa and the Global South are embodied in the reality Xi described, said Stephen Ndegwa, executive director of South-South Dialogues, a Nairobi-based think tank. From drinking water and electricity to technology empowerment and digital connectivity, he said, these concrete actions put into practice the vision of "common development and win-win cooperation."

The development of the Global South is crucial to the world's future, and China's leadership in driving it is invaluable, said Lawrence Freeman, a US economist and Africa affairs analyst. China has demonstrated to the world that the sustainable development goals can be achieved, he said, and will help pool an even greater force for global sustainable development.

(With input from Xinhua)