CGTN Poll: World doesn't need more talk, it needs governance that works

Editor's note: Mao Ruipeng serves as director of the Institute for Global Governance Studies under the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily those of CGTN.

If you have not felt the weight of our era, you have not been paying attention. What humanity needs most is not more confrontation, but a renewal of trust and cooperation so that global governance can rise to the challenges engulfing us. 

The 2026 Global Governance Forum (Xiongan), held under the theme “Rebuilding Confidence and Cooperation: Reforming and Improving Global Governance in a Transforming World,” brought together voices from across sectors to think through what reform should actually look like. Its contribution was a step toward governance that delivers in real-world terms.

Reform begins with an awkward question: who makes the rules, and why should anyone else accept them? The answer is that every country, large or small, rich or poor, should get a seat at the table. A system that no longer reflects the balance of the world will not long be afforded respect and loyalty. 

In September 2025, China proposed the Global Governance Initiative, emphasizing sovereign equality, the rule of international law, multilateralism, a people-centered approach, and action-oriented cooperation. A CGTN survey suggests these ideas resonate worldwide, with more than 60% of respondents believing that the GGI points the way forward for inclusive global governance. This is not a verdict but a signal that the world wants the broadest possible consensus, built on respect for differences, so that the system can win broader support and actually work.   

Global governance is judged by whether it solves real problems – and for much of the world that problem is development. Good intentions do not fill empty stomachs. If the talk stays at the level of principle and never reaches poverty, food security, crumbling infrastructure, or the technological divide, cooperation will not hold. The CGTN poll finds broad recognition of China’s role in supporting the Global South, with particularly high approval for infrastructure and for sharing development experience. This shows that people around the world care not only about how global governance is organized, but about whether it brings opportunity and reaches them. Helping developing countries on the path to independent development is both a route to shared prosperity and a necessary part of any serious reform.

Countries are at different stages of development and want different things. But artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and outer space development belong to us all. A house divided against itself cannot stand. The decision by the 2026 Global Governance Forum (Xiongan) to put these new-frontier questions on the agenda reflects a real need: technology is racing ahead, rules are not, and the gap will not close itself. The world needs to build consensus early, through communication and coordination, before new ground hardens into new divides.

None of that happens overnight, and confidence is not rebuilt at a single conference. But the point of Xiongan is that the governance the world needs is not empty institutional rhetoric detached from reality, but a working arrangement that answers to every country's needs, solves real problems, and lets more countries take part. From upholding the UN-centered international system to pursuing common development, to tackling the frontiers, the way forward is the same: talk plainly, pull your weight and let results speak. That is how global governance becomes more equitable, inclusive, and effective.