African Union (AU) Commission chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf praised Chinese President Xi Jinping as a "global leader" in an interview with China Media Group aired on Friday, highlighting four global initiatives proposed by Xi that aim to reshape international cooperation.
In recent years, China has launched four major global initiatives: the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the Global Security Initiative (GSI), the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI), and the Global Governance Initiative (GGI). Together, these initiatives form a comprehensive framework for jointly building a community with a shared future for humanity.
Each initiative addresses a fundamental pillar of global cooperation: the GDI aims to lay the material foundation, the GSI is designed to safeguard stability, the GCI seeks to foster shared understanding, and the GGI intends to provide the institutional architecture.
Speaking during the interview in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Youssouf emphasized that these initiatives focus on building a multilateral system, in line with the African Union's position.
"It's very important that a country, a global superpower, takes that lead. And I'm sure that so many countries in the Global South will support it. Now it's not a competitive issue. It's not a competition between the Western world and the Global South. We don't want to place this relationship between the South and the North on the basis of rivalry, competition that could be detrimental to our global interests. We need to save the multilateral system. And this is a new initiative proposed by President Xi. So we need to build on the basis of this initiative a new system. This is the African Union position," he said.
Youssouf, who has met President Xi on various occasions, also praised his leadership style and achievements.
"He is very a global leader. I met him even before he became president, when he was vice president, and he has what it takes to be a leader, a global leader. The development he achieved in China speaks for himself, for him. And I think that this is the illustration of real leadership. Leadership oriented for the well-being of the people, the country, and also a leadership that takes on board the expectations of neighbors and others throughout the world. That's leadership, and we appreciate that," he said.
AU Commission chief hails President Xi as "global leader"
