Multilateralism urged at European Parliament forum on global governance

Diplomats, experts and members of the European Parliament (MEPs), at a forum titled "The Future of Global Governance" in Brussels on Wednesday, exchanged views on reforming the global governance system, multilateralism and global challenges, urging efforts to uphold the UN-centered international system and improve global governance.

Cai Run, head of the Chinese Mission to the European Union, outlined China's vision for global governance at the forum. He said the Global Governance Initiative (GGI) aligns with the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter and helps strengthen international confidence in practicing multilateralism and improving global governance.

"President Xi Jinping, responding to the prevailing trend of the times and focusing on the major question of what kind of global governance system to build and how to improve it, put forward the Global Governance Initiative. Following the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative, the GGI is another important public good China has contributed to the world, offering Chinese wisdom and a Chinese approach to building a more just and equitable global governance system and a community with a shared future for humanity," Cai said.

At the forum, MEPs, diplomats and think tank representatives said that amid a complex and changing international landscape, countries should work together to safeguard the UN-centered international system and the international order based on international law, uphold multilateralism, jointly tackle global challenges, and advance reform and improvement of the global governance system.

"The Chinese authorities have taken several initiatives in different areas, which are all in a positive intention to improve international relations. And one of those is, of course, also global cooperation, global governance, which is actually, for the moment, lacking. We have a lot of tensions in the world, and we would need initiatives such as the one that China proposed in order to improve international relations and to come back to a culture of dialogue in the multilateral world," said Fernand Kartheiser, a member of the European Parliament, in an interview with China Media Group on the sidelines of the forum.

Multilateralism urged at European Parliament forum on global governance

China's new-type energy storage industry has achieved notable results and established a complete industrial chain, a senior official with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said on Thursday.

In his opening speech at the 2026 World Energy Storage Conference held in Ningde City of east China's Fujian Province, Vice Minister of Industry and Information Technology Xiong Jijun highlighted the country's progress in the sector.

China's storage battery output exceeded 420 GWh in the first half of 2026, up about 110 percent year on year. The industry is advancing on multiple technological routes, with lithium batteries playing a leading role alongside sodium-ion and flow batteries, according to Xiong.

In terms of application scenarios, new-type energy storage is being increasingly deployed across a wide range of areas, including new energy power grids, industrial and commercial electricity consumption, data centers, and transportation, he noted.

Next, Xiong said, in developing the new energy storage industry, safety should be given top priority, and core competitiveness should be built with high-quality and safe products. In addition, enterprises will be urged to strengthen technological innovation.

"It is essential to closely follow the development trends of new-type storage energy storage technologies, increase investment in research and development, and promote the upgrading and development of materials, production processes and equipment. Efforts should be focused on making breakthroughs in key areas such as long-duration energy storage and intrinsic safety, accelerating the shift from scale expansion to innovation-driven development, and fostering healthy and orderly development of the industry," he said.

The 2026 World Energy Storage Conference, held from Wednesday to Friday, brought together participants to discuss cutting-edge technologies, prospects for the energy storage industry, and China's position in the global energy storage market.

Ningde City has hosted the conference three times previously, an event that has attracted representatives from governments, industries and academia in over 50 countries and regions.

China has built complete industrial chain for energy storage: vice minister