China’s Xi Jinping pushes multilateral message ahead of US democracy summit
- Chinese president says changes needed to global governance to better represent developing countries
- Democracy among humanity’s common values that should be promoted around the world, he says
Speaking via video link at the opening ceremony of the Imperial Springs International Forum in Guangzhou, Xi stressed China’s unwavering support for multilateralism and commitment to global progress.
“China will firmly stand by the core values and basic principles of multilateralism, pursue mutual benefit, seek common ground while reserving differences, uphold fairness and justice, and promote development through cooperation,” state media quoted Xi saying.
He underlined the central role of the United Nations in global affairs, as well as the need for reforms of global governance, including increasing the representation of the voices of developing countries in international affairs.
“Multilateralism is essentially about having international affairs managed by all parties through consultation and the future of the world decided by all countries working together,” he said.
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The White House has said that the summit, which is to take place virtually on Thursday and Friday, is meant to counter authoritarianism, fight corruption and promote respect for human rights.
Some 110 governments have been invited, including Taiwan, which Beijing views as a rogue province, but which is governed by democratically elected leaders.
Meanwhile rights activists have described an increasingly restrictive environment in China for freedom of speech and defenders of human rights.
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China has often pointed to its record of lifting hundreds of millions of its people out of poverty as an example of its commitment to human rights, and framed itself as a fighter in the global war on poverty.
It has also sought to promote its system of governance as “whole process democracy”, involving public feedback and negotiations, despite not involving popular elections for its top leaders or free discussion of politics.
Earlier on Sunday, China’s foreign ministry released a report disputing suggestions that the United States is a “model of democracy”, outlining “deficiencies and abuses” in the US system, and arguing that democracy is a common value that takes different forms.
In his remarks on Sunday, Xi listed democracy among humanity’s common values that should be promoted around the world, alongside “peace, development, equity, justice ... and freedom”.
He also called on countries to join the Global Development Initiative, a project to improve global coordination on development, which Xi proposed during a September speech before the UN General Assembly.
Countries should work together to advance cooperation on poverty alleviation, Covid-19 response and vaccines, and a new stage of balanced, coordinated and inclusive growth, Xi said at the event.
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Also on Sunday, the foreign ministry took direct aim at the US in a report called “The State of Democracy in the United States”.
It urged the US to “improve its own system and practices of democracy and change its way of interacting with other countries”.
“This is in the interest of not only the American people, but also the people of other countries,” the report said.
The report criticised the country’s election system, its “chaotic” practices including the Capitol riot in January, and the death of George Floyd, which it said exposed the US’ “entrenched racism”.
American-style democracy had become “a game of money politics” and “rule of the minority elite”, it said.
The Imperial Springs International Forum is an annual event co-founded by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, according to its website. This year’s theme was “Multilateralism 2.0: Global Cooperation in the Post-Pandemic Era”.
