ABSTRACT
On 12 October 2015, at a study session of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, for the first time, China explicitly put forth the concept of global governance. According to President Xi, strengthening global governance and reforming the global governance system represents the general trend: “It is not simply a case of competing for the high ground of economic development, but what roles and functions nations will play in the long-term systemic arrangement of the international order” (Xinhuanet, 2015). Almost a year later on 28 September 2016, at another study session of the Politburo on global governance, Xi said that China must actively participate in global governance and play a bigger role in making rules for new areas such as the Internet, polar regions, deep seas, and outer space. China will extend greater support to cooperation mechanisms and projects on educational exchange, dialogue among civilizations, and ecological conservation. Xi added that China should defend its own interests as well as the common interests of developing countries, and focus not only on its needs as it develops, but also on the expectations of the international community (Xinhuanet, 2016). Furthermore, Xi Jinping’s high profile Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has been championed as “China’s solution” to global governance (UNDP China, 2016).
