China pledges more support as GDI marks fifth year

 Enhancing unity and cooperation and creating a peaceful development environment

 Pooling efforts for action and accelerating the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

 Promoting openness and mutual learning and strengthening the engine of innovative development

 Practicing multilateralism and improving the global governance system

China has called for efforts to steadily align the Global Development Initiative with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in order to create a better future for a world that remains volatile and turbulent and faces mounting development challenges.

Addressing the high-level meeting on the Global Development Initiative in Beijing on 28 July, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the initiative has become increasingly significant as the UN 2030 Agenda faces serious delays, the North-South development gap widens and global development is confronted with grave challenges.

Wang called for pooling efforts to accelerate progress toward the UN’s sustainable development goals.

This year marks the fifth anniversary of the GDI, which was proposed by President Xi Jinping in 2021.

To date, over 130 countries and international organisations have expressed support for the GDI and joined its cooperation framework, and nearly 100 countries and international and regional organisations have signed GDI cooperation documents with China, according to Wang.

In five years, China has mobilised over $ 23 billion to support over 1,800 “small and beautiful” livelihood projects, and has provided training to more than 200,000 professionals from developing countries, Wang said, adding that the outcomes of the initiative have delivered tangible benefits to people in over 120 countries.

China has also launched over 30 cooperation mechanisms and platforms, providing strong support for Global South countries to enhance their own development capability, he said.

Beijing will continue to assist other developing countries with more development resources, including financing and technology, and deepen bilateral, trilateral and multilateral cooperation to help address uneven and inadequate development, Wang said.

 To date, over 130 countries and international organisations have expressed support for the Global Development Initiative and participated in its cooperation, and nearly 100 countries and international and regional organisations have signed GDI cooperation documents with China. The philosophy of putting development first has found wider support, and the global partnership for development has gained stronger momentum

He added that the nation will also continue to support the UN in strengthening its development pillar and advancing its reform and reinvigoration, while calling for greater efforts to practice multilateralism and improve global governance.

He also called for efforts to champion openness and cooperation, and to eliminate the digital and artificial intelligence divides between the North and the South.

Following is the full text of Wang Yi at the High-Level Meeting on the Global Development Initiative held in Beijing on 28 July.

This year, the Global Development Initiative (GDI) launched by President Xi Jinping turns five. This high-level meeting, jointly organised by China and UN agencies, is thus of special significance. I am delighted to join you to renew our commitment to global development and explore ways to speed up the transition to sustainable development.

Five years ago, addressing the topical question of where the global development cause is headed, President Xi Jinping put forward the GDI at the General Debate of the 76th Session of the U.N. General Assembly. The GDI provided China’s insight and contribution to reinvigorating global development. In just five years, it has turned from a Chinese proposal into a global consensus, and from a statement of goals into concrete actions in support of the SDGs, winning wide appreciation and drawing active participation from the international community.

Important contributor to global development 

Five years on, the GDI has played a greater role in driving global development. President Xi Jinping presided over a High-Level Dialogue on Global Development. China has held high-level meetings on the GDI during four consecutive UNGA sessions, and launched the Forum on Global Action for Shared Development. These follow-up actions have enabled more policy dialogues and exchange of ideas. To date, over 130 countries and international organisations have expressed support for the GDI and participated in its cooperation, and nearly 100 countries and international and regional organisations have signed GDI cooperation documents with China. The philosophy of putting development first has found wider support, and the global partnership for development has gained stronger momentum.

 We should champion openness and mutual learning to boost innovation as the engine for development. We should champion openness and cooperation in a strong push to eliminate the digital and AI divides between North and South. China is ready to deepen collaboration on innovation with all parties to help the Global South effectively seize new opportunities and tackle new challenges

Five years on, the GDI has developed better cooperation mechanisms. The Group of Friends of the GDI, now with 88 member countries, has become an important contributor to global development. The U.N. Task Force on Leveraging Partnerships Toward the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda has attracted the participation of more than 20 development agencies. To complement these efforts, China has launched more than 30 cooperation mechanisms and platforms, providing strong support for Global South countries to enhance their development capability.

Five years on, the GDI has delivered a steady stream of cooperation outcomes. Through the China-U.N. Peace and Development Fund, the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund, and other funding initiatives, more than $ 23 billion have been mobilised, supporting the implementation of over 1,800 “small and beautiful” livelihood projects, and providing training for over 200,000 people in different professions. From juncao that contributes to global poverty reduction, to the Sustainable Development Science Satellite 1 (SDGSAT-1) that enables synchronised data sharing, and to the MAZU platform that helps Global South countries with meteorological warning and disaster prevention and mitigation, the GDI has brought tangible benefits to ordinary people in more than 120 countries.

UN in its pursuit of reform

We are living through a period of transformation and turbulence. The implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has seen serious delays, the North-South gap keeps widening, and the cause of global development faces grave challenges. All of this confirms the pressing relevance of the GDI. For the sake of our shared future, we should continue to underscore the imperative of development and align the GDI with the U.N. development agenda. More specifically:

First, we should enhance solidarity and cooperation to foster a peaceful environment for development. We should uphold the international system centred around the U.N. and the international order based on international law, and make every effort to foster a generally stable international environment and favourable conditions for global development cooperation. China will continue to support the U.N. in its pursuit of reform, revitalisation, and a stronger development pillar, so as to advance the interests of developing countries.

Second, we should combine our efforts to accelerate progress toward the SDGs. We should put development firmly at the centre of the international agenda, and make more resources available for global development. As a major and responsible developing country, China will continue to share more financial and technological resources with other developing countries, and undertake extensive bilateral, multilateral and trilateral cooperation to help tackle uneven and inadequate development across the globe.

Boost innovation as the engine for development

Third, we should champion openness and mutual learning to boost innovation as the engine for development. We should champion openness and cooperation in a strong push to eliminate the digital and AI divides between North and South. Two weeks ago, China, together with 28 other countries, initiated the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation (WAICO). This is a major move taken by China to answer the call of the Global South for promoting AI development and governance. China is ready to deepen collaboration on innovation with all parties to help the Global South effectively seize new opportunities and tackle new challenges.

 In the first half of 2026, China recorded a 4.7% GDP growth, maintaining steady development despite shocks from a global energy crunch and severe disruptions to the global industrial and supply chains. The certainty China offers is a valuable asset in an uncertain world. Going forward, no matter how the international landscape may evolve, China will continue to honour its responsibilities as a major country, and align its growth with the common good of the world to promote and contribute to global development

Fourth, we should practice multilateralism to help improve the global governance system. We should deepen the reform of the global economic and financial architecture, promote cooperation on development financing, and urge developed countries to truly deliver on their development financing commitments. As the UN gets ready to craft the post-2030 agenda in September 2027, we should make policy preparations and better communicate and coordinate with one another to shape a new development agenda that better reflects the needs of the Global South.

Ancient Chinese philosophy teaches that those pursuing the Great Way are never alone and the whole world is one family. A thriving world lifts China, and a prosperous China empowers the world. 

China’s 15th Five-Year Plan for economic and social development 

This year marks the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, and the start of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan for economic and social development. In the first half of 2026, China recorded a 4.7% GDP growth, maintaining steady development despite shocks from a global energy crunch and severe disruptions to the global industrial and supply chains. The certainty China offers is a valuable asset in an uncertain world. Going forward, no matter how the international landscape may evolve, China will continue to honour its responsibilities as a major country, and align its growth with the common good of the world to promote and contribute to global development. We will steadily advance the implementation of the GDI and share development opportunities with all countries on the journey to build a community with a shared future for humanity.

I wish this high-level meeting a great success.