VisionofbuildingacommunitywithsharedfutureformankindguidesglobaldevelopmentFouryearsago,PresidentXiJinpingdeliveredaspeechtitled“WorkTogethertoBuildaCommunityofSharedFutureforMankind”attheUnitedNationsheadquartersinGeneva.Hisvisionhasdrawnextensiveattentionfromtheinternationalcommunity.Throughoutthesefouryears,facedwithunilateralism,protectionism,andhegemonism,andespeciallyinthestruggleagainstCOVID-19in2020,allcountrieshavebecomemoreawareoftheimportanceofcreatingacommunityofsharedfutureformankind.Developmentisattherootofvariousglobalissuesthatresultedfromeconomicglobalization.Onlybyachievingcommondevelopmentcanweensurethebasicrightsofthepeopleofallcountries,fulfillthedesiresofallpeoplesforabetterlife,andbecomeequalmembersoftheinternationalcommunity.Untilthen,wemustupholdtheideaofbuildingacommunitywithsharedfutureformankind,strengthenthecooperationandcoordinationbetweennations,andjointlybuildanopendevelopmentplatform.COVID-19PandemicIntensifiedOutstandingContradictionsinGlobalEconomicDevelopmentInrecentyears,worldeconomicgrowthwasweak,andgapsbetweentherichandthepoorandtheSouthandtheNorthenlarged.PresidentXipointedoutthreecriticalissuesastherootcausesattheopeningceremonyofthe2017WorldEconomicForum,namelylackofrobustdrivingforcesforglobalgrowth,inadequateglobaleconomicgovernance,andunevenglobaldevelopment.In2020,theCOVID-19pandemicledtotheworstconditionoftheworldeconomysincetheGreatDepression.Themissiontoachievemutualdevelopmentbecamemoreandmoreurgent.Theglobaleconomylacksdriversofgrowth.Accordingtothe“GlobalEconomicProspects”releasedbytheWorldBankinJanuary2021,theworldeconomydeclinedby4.3%in2020,andthegrowthratedroppedby6.6%overthepreviousyear.Atthesametime,developedeconomiesshrankby5.4%withthegrowthratedecreasingby7%comparedtothepreviousyear.Thegrowthrateofemergingmarketsanddevelopingeconomiesdecreasedby6.2%fromtheyearbefore.Thepandemicnotonlycausedashort-termeconomicrecession,butalsoincreasedtheriskofalong-termdownturnintheglobaleconomy.Althoughmanyestimatedthattheglobaleconomywillwelcomeasharpreboundin2021,itstillfacesvariousuncertaintiesintheshortterm.Plus,withmanylimitingfactors,itisverydifficulttolivenuppotentialsintechnologicalprogressaswellasreformandinnovation,andbetterthedivisionoflaborbasedonspecializationGlobaleconomicgovernancelagsseriously.Foralongtime,theglobalgovernancesystemhasfailedtoreflectthenewpatternofinternationaleconomicpowerbalance.Thevoiceofemergingmarketsanddevelopingcountrieshavebeendrasticallyneglected,resultinginthelackofvitalityandmotivationinglobaleconomicgovernance.Sincethepandemicoutbreak,whetherintrade,investment,orfinance,traditionalruleshavenotbeenabletomeetnewdemandsanddealwithneweconomicrisks.Undertheinfluenceofcertaincountries,theproblemofglobaleconomicgovernancebecamemoreprominent.Theglobalmultilateraltradingsystemhasencounteredunprecedentedchallenges,andglobaleconomicgovernancemechanismssuchasG20havefailedtogivefullplaytotheirduecooperationfunctions.Globaldevelopmentbecamemoreunbalanced.Thepandemicaffectedpeople’sincomesinvariouscountries,butthedifferentimpactsondifferentcountriesandgroupshaveacceleratedtheimbalanceddistributionofglobalwealth.InDecember2020,the“GlobalWageReport2020-21”releasedbytheInternationalLaborOrganizationshowedthattheaveragewageofallgroupsinthefirsthalfof2020decreasedby6.5%,andthewagesofthelowest50%workersdecreasedby17.3%.Thissuggeststhatthepandemichasbroughtmoresevereimpactsonlow-incomeworkers.SteerGlobalDevelopmentwiththeVisionofBuildingaCommunitywithSharedFutureforMankindInsomecountriesandregions,andundercertainconditions,rulessuchasthelawofthejungle,winnertakesall,andzero-sumgamearestillinplay,whilegapsbetweentherichandthepoorandtheSouthandtheNorthincrease.Poverty,hunger,diseases,andsocialconflictskeepdisruptinghumansociety.Especiallyundertheimpactofthepandemic,globalwealthanddevelopmentgapsenlarged,whichcontradictsthevisionofbuildingacommunitywithsharedfutureformankind.However,thepandemichasbroughtpeoplefromallcountriestogethertojoinhandsandfightthevirus.Theinternationalcommunityhasrealizedthatsolidarityandcooperationarethemostpowerfulweaponstodefeatthevirus.Likewise,inthefaceofincreasingdevelopmentissues,onlyundertheguidanceofthevisionofbuildingacommunitywithsharedfutureformankindcanwegraspthedirectionofglobaldevelopment.Ononehand,wemustbuildanewtypeofglobaldevelopmentpartnershipthatismoreequalandbalanced.In2014,PresidentXipointedoutthatChinashouldcallforbuildingacommunitywithsharedfutureformankind,pursingcommondevelopmentofallcountriesandexpandingcommoninterestswhilepursuingtheirowndevelopment.Anewtypeofglobaldevelopmentpartnershipisbasedonequalrightsandbalancedresponsibilities.Fordevelopedcountries,theirresponsibilityandobligationaretohelpdevelopingcountriesandnarrowthegapbetweentheNorthandtheSouth.Meanwhile,developingcountriesshouldpromotetheirowndevelopmentcapabilitiesandtakecorrespondingresponsibilitiesandobligations.Ontheotherhand,wemustbuildaninclusiveandinvigoratedpatternofglobaldevelopmentgovernance.InSeptember2016,PresidentXiproposedattheG20SummitthatweshouldjointlyfacilitateaninclusiveandinterconnectedpatternofglobaldevelopmentgovernancetoimplementtheUN2030AgendaforSustainableDevelopmentandjointlyadvancethewell-beingofmankind.Atpresent,countriesshouldriseabovedifferencesanddivergences,givefullplaytotheirrespectiveadvantages,reduceglobaldevelopmentimbalances,andpromoteeconomicglobalizationtobecomemoreopen,inclusive,andbalanced.China’sPracticeProvidesStrong,SustainedImpetustoGlobalDevelopmentThevisionofbuildingacommunitywithsharedfutureformankindeliminatestheboundariesofnationsandstates,viewingtheentiremankindasanorganicwhole.ItisChina’ssolutiontothevariousglobalchallengesfacingtheworldtoday.Asthelargestdevelopingcountryintheworld,China’sdevelopmentprovidesvaluableexperiencetotheworld.Intermsofdevelopmentconcept,Chinaadvocatesandpracticesthenewdevelopmentconceptwhichisinnovative,coordinative,green,open,andshared,andregardsshareddevelopmentastheultimategoalofdevelopment.Shareddevelopmentistopromotetheconceptofsharingintheprocessofeconomicandsocialdevelopmentandgainbenefitsforpeopleinthefieldsofpolitics,economy,society,culture,andecology.Italsomeanstograduallytransferfromunbalancedtobalanceddevelopment,sothatallpeoplecangainfromdevelopmentandmovetowardscommonprosperity.Domestically,Chinamadegreatachievementsinpovertyalleviationandtherebycontributedglobalpovertyreduction.In2012,Chinalauncheditsall-roundbattleagainstpovertybasedonpreviousachievementsinpovertyalleviation.Aftereightyearsofefforts,Chinaliftedallcountiesoutofpovertyin2020,whichhasbenefitednearly100millionruralpeople.Chinaachievedthetargetofpovertyalleviationaheadofschedule,greatlyboostedglobalconfidence,andcontributedChinesewisdomandstrengthtoglobalpovertyreductionanddevelopment.Intermsofinternationalcooperation,Chinahasstayedcommittedtoachievingsharedgrowththroughconsultationandcollaborationandpromotedhigh-qualitydevelopmentwiththe“BeltandRoad”Initiative.Sofar,Chinahassigned204cooperationdocumentswith140countriesand31internationalorganizations.Evenwhenthepandemicwasseverelyimpactingtheglobaleconomy,China’sinternationalcooperationdidn’tstop.InJanuary2021,accordingtoChina’sGeneralAdministrationofCustoms,China’simportsandexportsto“BeltandRoad”countriesreached9.37trillionyuanin2020,anincreaseof1%.DatafromtheMinistryofCommerceshowedthatChina’snon-financialdirectinvestmentinthesecountriesreached15.96billionU.S.dollarsfromJanuarytoNovember2020,increasedby24.9%year-on-year.Theseresultsshowthatthe“BeltandRoad”Initiativeisadiverse,open,effective,andresults-orientedglobaldevelopmentpartnershipandalsoanimportantdrivingforceforcommonglobaldevelopment.ContributedbyXuXiujun,DeputydirectorofChineseAcademyofSocialSciences,DeputySecretary-generalofChina’sSocietyofEmergingEconomiesTranslatedbyRenMeiqi