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“China is always a builder of world peace, contributor to global development, defender of the international order, and provider of public goods. China will continue to bring the world new opportunities through its new development.”
China will bring the world new opportunities through its new development; this was the solemn commitment to the world from Chinese President Xi Jinping’s speech delivered at the general debate of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly via video link from Beijing. In his address, Xi proposed the Global Development Initiative for the first time, which is also the first among four global initiatives he has proposed.
The Global Development Initiative includes six points: staying committed to development as a priority, staying committed to a people-centered approach, staying committed to benefits for all, staying committed to innovation-driven development, staying committed to harmony between man and nature, and staying committed to results-oriented actions.
Xi noted in his speech that China will put development high on the global macro policy agenda, strengthen policy coordination among major economies, and ensure policy continuity, consistency and sustainability. It will also foster global development partnerships that are more equal and balanced, forge greater synergy among multilateral development cooperation processes, and speed up the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Through the Global Development Initiative, China will put the subject of development before that of political systems and ideology, and bring it back to the core of the global agenda. The Global Development Initiative’s most fundamental goal is to speed up the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; its most core requirement is to stay committed to a people-centered approach, its most important philosophy is to advocate and jointly build a united, equal, balanced and inclusive global development partnership; and its most key measure is to adhere to an action-oriented approach, work for stronger, greener and more sound global development, and jointly build a global community of development.
In September 2017, in his speech while hosting the Dialogue of Emerging Market and Developing Countries at the Xiamen International Conference and Exhibition Center, Xi Jinping announced that China will provide 500 million U.S. dollars to the Assistance Fund for South-South Cooperation, and that the money will be used to help fellow developing countries tackle famine, refugee, climate change, public health and other challenges. He also said that China will enhance development experience-sharing and capacity-building cooperation with other countries.
2018 marked a special year for residents from Balmoral Village in suburban Lusaka, the capital of Zambia. A team from Startimes, a Chinese enterprise, undertaking the “Access to Satellite TV for 10,000 African Villages” project, was set to install digital television sets for local villagers free of charge.
For the village, classrooms in local primary schools are where the satellite TV is mostly needed. Mrs. Emeldah Ngoma was headmistress of Balmoral Primary School in Zambia at the time.
“It is very helpful, and we are very privileged. You know this is a rural setup where children do not access these devices. And since they have this, they will be having it at school.”
The “Access to Satellite TV for 10,000 African Villages” project aims to connect 10,000 remote villages across Africa with satellite digital TV signals, helping African people to be connected with the world.
Dora Siliya was then Zambia’s Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services.
“This is very significant for us. Television is just not for pleasure any more, it is a real tool for development. We are so grateful that we have continued this cooperation with China.”
As of December 2022, the project had been completed in 21 African countries, covering 9,512 villages and directly benefiting more than 190,000 households.
In 2022, while hosting the High-level Dialogue on Global Development, Xi Jinping noted that China would allocate more resources for global development cooperation and upgrade the South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund to a Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund. He also said China will increase its input into the UN Peace and Development Trust Fund, and that such efforts will further support cooperation under the GDI.
“As an ancient Chinese adage goes, “With one heart and one mind, we can accomplish everything we aspire for.” Let us firm up confidence, stride forward in pursuit of high-quality partnerships, and usher in a new era of prosperity and development.”
The Global Development Initiative emphasizes fostering domestic development potential in relevant countries and regions. Each country has its unique characteristics and needs to choose a development path suited to its local conditions. The initiative fully respects and prioritizes the rights of developing countries to choose their development paths independently and provides them with more references in their choice of development paths.
In mid-summer of 2024, the Luban Workshop in the Technological University of Tajikistan bustled with activity: In the Intelligent Surveying and Mapping Training Center, students were practicing the use of simulation software on computers; in the Green Energy Training Center, students were attentively watching their instructor demonstrating operations on the pipeline and heating demonstration platform. Bozorzoda Bakhtiyor was one of the students.
“When the Luban (workshop) (is) building, teacher from China, they teach our teachers and then teacher teach us, help us to improve our skills. So I think it will be a good thing for building a friendship. I’m very interested in Chinese culture. Also I know Chinese quotes from Kong Fu Tzu (Confucius), he had very good quotes. ‘If you say something to me, I forget. If you just show me, I remember. If you allow me to deal with it, I learn.’ It means, if you want to learn some things, you mean you have to deal with it. For example, if you want to learn this instrument, you must deal with this instrument.”
The Luban Workshop, an international platform named after Lu Ban — the master craftsman of ancient China — is a key project that Xi Jinping has long cared about and actively promotes. He once emphasized that in promoting mutual learning among civilizations, it is important to proceed from one’s own national realities, draw on others’ strengths, and follow what is good and beneficial. The success of Luban Workshops lies in its development strategy of “adjusting measures to local conditions.” The Luban Workshop Research and Promotion Center has developed more than 100 international professional courses in fields such as intelligent manufacturing, railway transportation, and traditional Chinese medicine, published over 140 bilingual textbooks, and created 420 practical training manuals and loose-leaf teaching materials.
In Tajikistan, a country where over 90% of the land is mountainous and blessed with abundant sunlight and water resources, the Luban Workshop mainly offers majors like engineering surveying and urban thermal energy applications, to aid in the development of renewable energy and infrastructure construction. Kazakhstan attaches great importance to China’s new energy vehicle technology, so the local Luban Workshop has set up practical training areas such as “intelligent connectivity” and “vehicle maintenance.” Kyrgyzstan is rich in hydropower resources, so the Luban Workshop there emphasizes water conservancy and hydropower-related majors. Zhejiang University of Water Resources and Electric Power, a partner university, plans to apply their latest research findings like smart water conservancy and new energy in the workshop. Turkmenistan has considerable oil and gas reserves, so the local Luban Workshop has been jointly established by Chinese petroleum universities and enterprises.
In Thailand, continuous adjustments in the industrial structure have created a high demand for professionals in fields such as the internet and automation.
Under the framework of the Global Development Initiative, China has not only promoted the building of the Luban Workshop, but also an international cooperation network on poverty reduction among civil society, the Global Development Promotion Center Network, and the World Technical and Vocational Education and Training League. It has also established cooperation platforms in multiple key areas, including food security, development financing, climate change, green development, industrialization, and digital-era interconnectivity. These initiatives have provided intellectual support and pooled development resources for developing countries, demonstrating China’s concrete actions to support countries in achieving sustainable development based on their unique characteristics.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution, represented by advancement in artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and big data, is quietly unfolding and bringing new opportunities and challenges to countries around the world. Due to various constraints arising from differences in geography, society, and culture, there are significant disparities in the ability to use and access digital technologies among different regions and groups, leading to information asymmetry and a digital divide. Developing countries, in particular, face a more prominent digital gap compared to developed countries due to a relatively weaker foundation in information technology.
According to the International Telecommunication Union, over half of the world’s population were still waiting for an Internet connection in 2017. The figure dropped to 2.6 billion in 2024. But in the least developed countries, only 27 percent of their population were using the Internet.
To implement the Global Development Initiative and realize development prospects, China has promoted the establishment of a series of global open platforms and international public goods through innovation. Among these, the “Digital Silk Road” aims to help developing countries bridge not only the “access gap” but also the “capability gap.”
In his speech at the first Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in 2017, Xi Jinping made such a proposal.
“We should pursue innovation-driven development and intensify cooperation in frontier areas such as the digital economy, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, and quantum computing, and advance the development of big data, cloud computing, and smart cities so as to turn them into a digital silk road of the 21st century.”
This was a call to integrate digital economic development and Belt and Road cooperation, and to leverage digital technology to support Belt and Road cooperation.
The Digital Silk Road has achieved fruitful results in areas such as serving the digital infrastructure construction in Belt and Road countries, promoting innovative trade development and fostering international cooperation in science and technology. By the end of 2022, China had signed memorandums of understanding on Digital Silk Road cooperation with 17 countries and established bilateral e-commerce cooperation mechanisms with 23 countries. More than 11,000 Chinese digital communication patents have been implemented in Belt and Road countries.
In Latin American and Caribbean countries such as Brazil and Mexico, Chinese cloud technology has helped local enterprises reduce costs and store data more securely and efficiently.
In Ecuador, Chinese scientists have used marine digital twin technology to simulate marine ecosystems, and to provide data support for local marine ecological and environmental protection research.
In Colombia, the Smart Network Connectivity Laboratory, jointly established by China and Colombia has utilized digital simulation technology to assist in the upgrade and transformation of the Port of Buenaventura, to enhance the operational efficiency of this key container port.
In Mozambique, the Maluana data center, built by Huawei as a critical component of Mozambique’s “e-government” strategic plan, will provide network infrastructure, storage, and computing services to all government departments.
In Egypt, Chinese companies have engaged in digital economy cooperation with Egyptian partners, such as implementing “smart classroom solutions” to support digitalized teaching. They have also conducted collaborative research on Arabic speech recognition, speech synthesis, and Chinese-Arabic translation.
In 2025, responding to the calls of the Global South and aiming to bridge the digital and intelligent technology gaps while promoting the beneficial and inclusive development of artificial intelligence, the Chinese government proposed the establishment of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization. This initiative aims to help Global South countries strengthen capacity building, foster an AI innovation ecosystem, ensure that developing countries benefit equally from the wave of intelligentization, and advance the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
China is actively advancing its accession to the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement, deepening international cooperation on digital industry and is continuously promoting the sharing of digital economy dividends to jointly build a digital community with a shared future. By breaking down “digital infrastructure” into replicable public building blocks, the Global South can gain the ability to assemble, adapt, and grow independently in the digital era. This would represent a far more profound form of South-South cooperation than any single project.
Xi Jinping once noted, “China can only do well when the world is doing well. When China does well, the world will get even better.” On the new journey, China will continue to make its own contributions to common development in the world, and its determination to share the development opportunities with the world will remain unchanged. A more prosperous and developing China is bound to make further contributions to the progress of the development of humanity.
Just as Xi Jinping said at the general debate of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2021: “The world is once again at a historical crossroads. I am convinced that the trend of peace, development, and advancement for humanity is unstoppable. Let us bolster confidence, and jointly address global threats and challenges, and work together to build a community with a shared future for humanity and a better world for all.”
If you are interested in listening to this episode of the podcast series Stories of Xi Jinping, please visit: https://podcasts.apple.com/cn/podcast/building-a-world-of-common-prosperity-through-win/id1689566035?i=1000739247687
///nCa, 29 December 2025