On Tuesday, September 23, at the United Nations Headquarters, Chinese Premier Li Xiang delivered a keynote speech at a high-level meeting on the Global Development Initiative (GDI), organized by China. The event was attended by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Iraq’s President Abdul Latif Rashid, Angola’s President João Lourenço, Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Niger’s Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, among other dignitaries.
Premier Li emphasized that President Xi Jinping’s proposed Global Development Initiative has played a vital leadership role in advancing inclusive development and has become a widely recognized international public good. China aims to revitalize global development through deeper implementation of the GDI, creating a stable and open international development environment, fostering balanced and inclusive development partnerships, promoting forward-looking innovation, encouraging sustainable green and low-carbon development, and accelerating the achievement of the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.
Li Xiang stressed that China will always support and drive common development, increase global development investments, strengthen science and technology cooperation to enhance global development, and actively advance global green transformation. As a responsible developing country, China will not seek special or differentiated privileges in current or future WTO negotiations. The Chinese government has also proposed an international “AI+” cooperation initiative, welcoming active participation from all parties.
All participants at the meeting expressed support for the four Global Initiatives proposed by Xi Jinping and the Belt and Road Initiative, praised the achievements of GDI cooperation, commended China’s leadership role in WTO reform, and welcomed China’s new international AI cooperation proposals. They affirmed their willingness to work together to reform and advance global governance while safeguarding the common interests of the international community, especially the Global South.
The meeting concluded with a joint declaration, in which all parties pledged to deepen GDI cooperation and actively implement the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.
Source: Svarna-Hashim-Lily, China Media Group