BEIJING, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- At the recent "Shanghai Cooperation Organization Plus" Meeting, Chinese President Xi Jinping put forward the Global Governance Initiative. This initiative, grounded in a deep understanding of global trends and the defining features of our time, underscores that upholding multilateralism is the basic pathway of global governance.

Amid profound changes unseen in a century, emerging markets and developing countries are rising rapidly, global multipolarity is accelerating, the international landscape is becoming more balanced, and the overall trend of the times is irreversible.

The international power structure, once dominated by a handful of countries, and the unjust and irrational order it produced, no longer meet the needs of the times or the expectations of the international community. The rise of the Global South nations has brought forward demands for equal participation in rule-making, fundamentally challenging the unfair distribution of resources and the imbalance of international discourse power.

To uphold multilateralism, in essence, is to acknowledge and respect the equal rights of all countries and to provide an institutionalized platform for wider participation in global governance, especially for developing nations. This is a necessary prerequisite for ensuring fairness and equity in the global governance system.

Upholding multilateralism is a guiding principle of China's diplomacy in the new era. China has always believed that multilateralism is the core concept of the existing international system and international order. The principle of extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefit must be upheld. Global affairs should be decided by all, the governance system built by all, and the fruits of governance shared by all. The practice of unilateralism must be rejected.

China is also actively promoting the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, resolutely upholding the international system with the United Nations at its core, and supporting multilateral platforms, including the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the BRICS mechanism, and the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, in playing a greater role.

The United Nations is the core platform for practicing multilateralism and advancing global governance, whose role must be enhanced, not weakened.

In the face of a growing array of global challenges, including climate change, public health crises, cybersecurity and terrorism, no single country can tackle them alone. As a founding member of the United Nations and a permanent member of the Security Council, China stands ready to deepen its cooperation with the United Nations, support its central role in international affairs, and work together with other countries to uphold world peace and promote development and prosperity.

Human destiny has never been more interconnected. Upholding true multilateralism and fostering a multipolar world that is equal and orderly is a historic responsibility entrusted by the times. ■