An analysis by – Lawal Sale
The occasion was the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit Plus in Tianjin, presided over by President Xi Jinping. Over the meeting, President Xi spiritedly delivered a very important historic statement to the audience comprising leaders of countries of about half of the world’s population. The title of President Xi’s statement was “Pooling the strength of the Shanghai Cooperation to improve Global Governance”.
The statement came two days before China’s 80th commemoration of victory against Japanese aggression during World War II and the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. In a bold move, President Xi Jinping unveiled a sweeping proposal for a new global order themed “Global Governance Initiative (GGI), positioning it as a blueprint for fairness and more inclusive international cooperation where all nations and people will be equal.
According to President Xi, the proposed Global Governance Initiative was to promote the building of a more just and equitable global governance system and work together for a community with a shared future for humanity.
President Xi also called on nations to embrace multipolarity and reject hegemonism. He maintained that China is ready, together with all parties to uphold courageously the great principle and the common good of the world, promote a correct historical perspective on World War II, resolutely safeguard the fruits of their victory in the war, and deliver more benefits to the entire humanity through the reform of the global governance system and the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.
There is no doubt that the global stage is experiencing uncertainties and turbulence, the UN and multilateralism as its principles are being challenged, and many things are in deficit in the global governance system and continue to grow. Leaders at the SCO summit noted that sustainable development faces challenges due to the threat of unilateralism and disregard for the UN international norms.
GGI and its Five Core Concepts:
The five core concepts are:
First: Adhering to sovereign equality, where all countries, regardless of size, strength, or wealth, shall have the right to make decisions in, and benefit from global governance as equals.
Second: Staying committed to the international rule of law, where there shall be no double standards, and the self-defined rules of a few nations must not be imposed upon others.
Third: Staying committed to multilateralism. This is the basic pathway of a global governance where multilateralism is the core concept of the existing international system and international order.
Fourth: Adhering to a people-centred approach. This is essentially to ensure that people of all nations jointly participate in global governance and share its outcomes.
Fifth and the last: This concept of GGI is about focusing on taking real action/results – this is an important concept of adopting a systematic and holistic approach, coordinating global actions, fully mobilising various resources, strive for more visible outcomes, and enhancing practical cooperation to prevent the governance system from lagging or being fragmented.
GGI as an International System for Inclusiveness:
Adding voice to President Xi’s GGI concepts, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi noted that the GGI came at the right time as the world is fraught with challenges, including frequent regional unrest, slowed economic growth and the rise of anti-globalism.
He emphasised that the spirit of the initiative is in line with the purposes and principles of the UN charter, maintaining that GGI was aimed at firmly supporting the UN’s central role in international affairs, and to encourage countries to participate in the reform of the global governance system by relying on multilateral mechanisms such as the United Nations.
Global Affairs experts recall that before the unveiling Global Governance Initiative by President Xi during the SCO summit, he had earlier introduced other noble and important global initiatives with the aim of strengthening and improving global governance, injecting more stability and certainty into a turbulent world, Africa in particular.
These earlier initiatives by President Xi were the Global Development Initiative (GDI), Global Security Initiative (GSI), and Global Civilisation Initiative (GCI).
According to the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Yu Dunhai, the four remarkable initiatives have their respective priorities and can be pursued simultaneously. He said, “Each initiative will be a source of positive energy for a changing and turbulent world.
Quoting from a paper he delivered on the Initiative, Ambassador Yu noted that GGI should be regarded as the fundamental guideline to uphold the purposes and principles of the UN charter and practice the vision of global governance featuring extensive consultation and joint contributions for shared benefit, the GGI seeks to promote the building of a more just and equitable global governance system and work together for a community with a shared future for humanity, Yu said.
The Ambassador further emphasised that the five GGI concepts are closely aligned with the inherent needs of China-Africa and China-Nigeria cooperation.
Yu expatiated that Africa, comprising 54 countries and standing members of the UN, is the continent with the largest concentration of developing countries and that Africa is not only an important participant in global governance, but also a major force driving global multi-polarisation.
Global South affairs experts unequivocally pointed out that the introduction of this ambitious initiative by President Xi Jinping will open more opportunities and strengthen institutions for African countries in areas of development finances, technology, corporate digitisation, skill training, cooperate governance, and agro-economy.
The experts also posit that the initiative will encourage stronger representation in global affairs, in particular in South-South cooperation.
GGI as Pathway to Africa’s Self-Driven Development:
In relation to Africa and the impact of the GGI on the continent, experts noted that the initiative could position African countries as players in emerging global industrial nations. It is worth noting that about 53 out of 54 African countries are both FOCAC and BRI members, while South Africa, Egypt and Nigeria are BRICS+ members and partners respectively.
In terms of economy, China, as the largest trading partner of Africa, has already invested heavily and committed to helping African countries develop infrastructure through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) platforms.
Chinese investment and developmental projects cut across areas, including railway development, airport terminal construction, roads and bridges, seaports, renewable energy, green technology and climate-related projects. These are opportunities that could also be accessed through GGI.
Notwithstanding, African leaders are expected to embrace the initiative, as some nations often advocate for reforms in global governance, may find GGI’s emphasis on fairness and inclusion aligned with their own demands for equity on the global stage.
Accordingly, if carefully approached and the initiative is aligned with the continental approach, priorities such as the African Union’s Agenda 2063 could become a tool for progress.
GGI and China-Nigeria Cooperation:
Also, Nigeria, as Africa’s most populous country and major economy, serves as a critical growth engine on the continent and an influential representative of the Global South. The West African nation is also a key strategic partner for China in Africa. To this end, Ambassador You said it is fair to note that China-Africa and China-Nigeria cooperation not only enjoy a solid historical foundation but also correspond to the practical needs of reforming the global order.
Succinctly, experts acknowledged that Nigeria, as an influential member of the global south, could leverage on President Xi’s GGI to improve on the already existing cooperation on trade and investment.
Apparently, during President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s state visit and on the occasion of the FOCAC summit in Beijing, President Tinubu and his host, President Xi Jinping, jointly announced the upgrade of China-Nigeria relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership; and the two leaders were committed to building a high-level China-Nigeria community with a shared future.
Nigeria is the largest engineering contracting partner, the second largest exporting market, the third largest trading partner and an important investment destination for China.
It is reasonable to say that Nigeria and China relations have gone a long way and over the years, have experienced rapid growth in all sectors. The two countries, according to Ambassador Yu, are setting an exemplary model for South-South cooperation that is aligned with President Xi’s Global Governance Initiative.
— Sale is a Global South Affairs Analyst based in Abuja. (lawalmaida1@yahoo.com)
