China's top diplomat Wang Yi on Wednesday said China will take proactive steps to deepen cooperation, remain a promoter and contributor to global development, and work with all parties to usher in a new landscape for global development through concrete actions.
Wang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, made the remarks when addressing the Third High-Level Conference of the Forum on Global Action for Shared Development in Beijing.
Noting that this year marks the fifth anniversary of the Global Development Initiative (GDI), Wang said the GDI has evolved from a Chinese proposition into an international consensus with rich practical outcomes.
"The Global Development Initiative (GDI) has so far mobilized more than 23 billion US dollars in funding and launched over 1,800 cooperation projects. Through the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund, China has also worked with more than 20 international organizations to implement over 100 trilateral projects across more than 50 countries," Wang said in his speech at the event. Wang said China stands ready to work with all parties to take the implementation of the GDI as a platform, pool extensive development resources, build a solid foundation for development, stay committed to the path of peaceful development, foster an open environment for development, and forge ahead toward the goal of building a community with a shared future for humanity.
Hosted by the China International Development Cooperation Agency, the meeting has brought together representatives from more than 140 countries, international organizations, and other institutions through both online and offline channels.
Other delegates at the forum also underlined the importance of keeping development at the center of the global agenda.
"It is becoming increasingly clear that development cannot be treated as secondary on the global agenda. It underpins peace and stability, protects sovereignty, and upholds human dignity. Without it, there can be no lasting peace, no true inclusiveness, and no sustainable future," said President of Mozambique Daniel Chapo.
Experts say recent policy shifts in Washington, including the shutdown of the United States Agency for International Development, withdrawal from the Paris Agreement on climate change, and disengagement from institutions like the World Health Organization, have contributed to a decline in global development assistance. In this context, aid is increasingly seen not as a cornerstone of international engagement, but as a tool shaped by geopolitical and economic priorities.
With ongoing conflicts and the growing urgency of climate change, officials say the call for cooperation must go beyond rhetoric -- and translate into concrete, coordinated action.
"We know that the world is lagging behind on the implementation of the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). It is good to hear from China that the vision is to consolidate their implementation," said Sophie Muller, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Representative in China.
"This sense of stability and predictability stems from China's long-standing, consistent commitment - rather than being a short-term response to current international challenges," said Yao Shuai, a senior research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation.
Hosted by the China International Development Cooperation Agency, the event brought together representatives from more than 140 countries, international organizations, and other institutions through both online and offline channels.
China remains promoter, contributor to global development: top diplomat
