Chinese state councilor puts forward proposal on seeking better global governance

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi put forward a three-pronged proposal for seeking a global governance solution that is fairer, more effective and conforms to the trends of history here on Monday.

Wang who has been accompanying Chinese President Xi Jinping on a state visit to France made the remarks at an opening ceremony of a global governance forum co-hosted by China and France.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks during a Franco Chinese seminar of global governance in Quai d'Orsay in Paris, France, March 25, 2019. [Photo: VCG]

The international community is looking forward to seeing China and France, two major countries, join efforts to promote world peace and progress while the global landscape has been undergoing changes, Wang said.

"We are living at a time full of both opportunities and challenges," Wang said, adding that the relationships between countries are ever closer and exchanges between peoples are easier.

In the meantime, Wang said, the world is beset with lack of driving forces for economic growth, an ever more prominent gap in development, a cold war mentality and unilateralism.

Wang, against such a back drop, put forward a three-pronged proposal to the forum attended by some 200 people from business circles and think tanks of China and France.

He called for candid consultations, sincere communications, in-depth exchanges and mutual learning among countries for thoughts, wisdom and consensus to improve the global governance.

He underlined cooperation and a spirit of win-win and mutually beneficial partnership, calling for thorough discussions on cooperation between China and France in such areas as connectivity, World Trade Organization reform and digital governance.

He called for constructive and feasible solutions for win-win and multi-win results so that people from various countries and all walks of life could share the benefits of global governance.

China and France, he said, should undertake historical responsibilities, uphold a vision of global governance featuring extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, staunchly safeguard multilateralism and the contemporary international system with the United Nations (UN) at the core, jointly promote world peace and development, and make unremitting efforts to advance the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves speaks during a Franco Chinese seminar of global governance in Quai d'Orsay in Paris, France, March 25, 2019. [Photo: VCG]

Jean-Yves Le Drian, Wang's French counterpart, said at the ceremony it is of great significance that France and China co-hosted the global governance forum during Xi's state visit to his country.

Fifty-five years ago, Le Drian said, General Charles de Gaulle made a strategic decision to establish diplomatic relations with China, which, for one thing, showed France's independence and, for another, helped create a more balanced international system.

France firmly supports the UN system and believes that multilateralism is indispensable, he said.

In the face of a reality that basic principles of international relations are threatened by unilateralism and protectionism, France and China should join efforts, constantly make innovation, compare notes on the framework of global governance and jointly face challenges, he said.

France, Le Drian said, supports fair competition, common security and is ready to strengthen cooperation with China on such global agenda as addressing the climate change.

He added Eurasian connectivity and the Belt and Road Initiative are complementary, and that the French side supports the alignment of the two and the cooperation with China on relative projects.