Djoomart Otorbaev Photo: Zhu Gaolei/CSST

On Oct. 28, the “Global Strategic Dialogue (2025)—The 80th Anniversary of the United Nations and the New Form of Global Governance” was held at the Chinese Academy of History under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) in Beijing. Among the distinguished participants was Djoomart Otorbaev, former prime minister of Kyrgyzstan, who delivered an opening address. Following his remarks, CSST sat down with him for an exclusive interview.

Speaking against the backdrop of the UN’s 80th anniversary and the current state of global governance, Otorbaev discussed the UN’s role in maintaining world order and the necessity for reform. He also explained the significance of the China-proposed Global Governance Initiative (GGI) to building an equal and orderly multipolar world. Drawing on 33 years of friendly exchanges between China and Kyrgyzstan and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)’s consensus-driven model, he shared insights into how the two countries strengthen collaboration through economic projects to address global governance challenges. He also elaborated on means by which Global South countries can participate in inclusive globalization and build cooperative consensus through mechanisms such as BRICS.

Challenges facing UN

CSST: 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. How do you assess the UN’s role in maintaining world order? What are the biggest challenges currently facing the UN, and how should they be addressed?

Otorbaev: We all must remember history—the founding of the UN happened immediately after World War II, when 51 nations at that time, as founding members of the United Nations, decided to move from war to peace; to build the world as a harmonious place where everybody would live in harmony. From that time, we have 80 years. For sure, during this time the world has changed.

Now 193 are members. Greater in quantity, but the quality has changed, or in comparison with 1945, it is completely different. Now we have to brainstorm how to make this institution better—not how to cancel it, but how to reform it. That is why the different ideas which come from different parts of the world are important. The idea of President Xi Jinping of reforming the global governance system [the GGI] is very timely and important, because China is a big country, a big economy, and a forward-looking nation. That is why the world needs to think about how to restart the process by which the UN, which is unique absolutely, will be much more efficient.

SCO as efficient multilateral institution

CSST: You have praised the SCO as a “lighthouse” that illuminates a turbulent era. How do you understand the SCO’s uniqueness and significance within today’s global security landscape?

Otorbaev: The overall UN system is very difficult to manage, involving so many countries, so many interests, etc. My belief is that the SCO might be an example of an efficient multilateral institution.

For the time being, we have 10 full members, 2 observer states, and 14 dialogue partners, which meet on a regular basis to discuss different issues and are able to produce workable documents, which is not easy, because they are consensus-based documents.

At the Tianjin Summit, which we had this year, we produced excellent outputs, not just statements or photo sessions, but ideas on how to build it better. I think it was the most efficient assignment for the SCO. Thanks to all the countries who participated in the summit, it was a very big success.

By the way, next summit will take place in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, next year. We’ve already started preparation for the summit. I believe that together we can take another important step in strengthening the SCO as an example of an efficient multilateral institution.

CSST: At the SCO Tianjin Summit, China proposed the GGI for the first time, calling on countries to work in concert for a more just and equitable global governance system. What does the GGI mean for the construction of an equal, orderly, and multipolar world order?

Otorbaev: The UN system must be reformed. I believe that the format of the SCO might be a good example of how multilateral institutions should operate. In that respect, the whole world, especially countries of the Global South, are attentively listening to what the Chinese president proposed as a “Global Governance Initiative.” Most of the participants endorsed this idea. In my region of Central Asia, all the five countries are also endorsing this initiative. We believe that the peaceful, efficient development of multilateral institutions is the only way to build a fairer world.

CSST: You have noted that global governance must adapt to new circumstances. Given the current inefficiencies in global governance, the UN’s call for reforming international mechanisms, and the GGI’s emphasis on equal participation of all countries, in which specific fields could China and Kyrgyzstan cooperate to address the inefficiencies within a balanced, orderly, and multipolar world framework?

Otorbaev: The GGI was proposed only recently, a little more than one month ago. Now it is time to brainstorm details—how to make it better, and how to make it workable. It will not be easy, but we can do it.

Our history of interaction and cooperation with China, of my country and my region, is very promising, bright, and interesting. Only 33 years ago, we established diplomatic relationships. It’s a very short time, but during these 33 years, we built trust step by step, engaged in cooperation, and conducted win-win dialogue, finding the best solutions for any problems which we’re having.

There are many initiatives from China and Central Asia which we discussed together. I believe the GGI will be developed after some time because it needs time to prosper more. The Global Strategic Dialogue, co-organized by CASS, is a very timely and efficient platform for making it better. The academic community is now more and more engaged and involved in brainstorming and finding proposals for political decisions. I believe that this initiative will generate very positive outputs.

Multilateral cooperation essential

CSST: What do you identify as the biggest inclusiveness deficit facing current economic globalization? Guided by the goal of “inclusive and beneficial economic globalization,” how can China and Kyrgyzstan achieve mutually beneficial development and contribute to global inclusiveness through regional cooperation mechanisms such as the Belt and Road Initiative? How can this cooperation model serve as a reference for other developing countries seeking to participate in globalization?

Otorbaev: In my country and in Central Asia, we believe that in economic development, competition is important. In order to cooperate, you must be competitive. We must work hard to remain informed, to learn what’s going on, and to be able to compete, cooperate, and communicate around the world.

We are open for competition. On the contrary, as we’ve seen in other places in the world, countries and regions, like the United States or the European Union, have started to create barriers. Why, in the international scene, are these countries hindering competition? It’s a way to nowhere in that respect.

Even though we are still countries of the Global South—not advanced, and underdeveloped—we are prepared to compete and cooperate. This is very important. We’re not making barriers to anything. This is free trade and free investment, moving people to people between our countries, and it will only increase. I actually believe that a stronger Asian continent could become an example of prosperous development.

Recently, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, there was the 47th ASEAN Summit to discuss why ASEAN is impressively successful. ASEAN consists of very different countries, including small Brunei, big Indonesia, Vietnam, and Myanmar. They have already been working together for so many years, competing and cooperating. This is a success story which everybody now is trying to figure out. There are so many cases around the world which can be taken as an example for cooperation and competition.

CSST: In the ongoing process of building an equal, orderly multipolar world, regional conflicts and unilateralism threaten the “equality” and “orderliness” of the global system. Both China and Kyrgyzstan are committed to promoting stability in Central Asia. Within the SCO framework, what concrete cooperation measures can the two countries take to safeguard regional security and stability?

Otorbaev: This is a very comprehensive question. As I mentioned previously, my country and other countries in Central Asia are prepared to work together with the outside world, especially as we are a landlocked region. In a landlocked region, you must be friendly to each other.

I can name many exciting economic projects which we are executing together among our countries, such as the new railway between China, Kyrgyzstan, further to Europe, to the south, through Central Asia.

All these will enhance our cooperation and our operation. But the number one issue is building trust. Without trust, as Confucius said, all talks are meaningless. Having worked together for already 33 years, we [China and Kyrgyzstan] have been building trust step by step. We’ve discussed every dispute, every issue which we have between us, in an open atmosphere, and have solved it. This is how to build trust and how to build a more harmonious future.

CSST: You have long focused on reforms in global governance and international development. Based on the practical experience of China-Kyrgyzstan cooperation, how should developing countries better build consensus and cooperate to advance an equal, orderly, and multipolar world and inclusive, equitable globalization? What insights can China-Kyrgyzstan practical cooperation provide for broader cooperation among developing nations in the realm of global governance?

Otorbaev: If you want to achieve cooperation, you need to have dialogue. And very often to have equal dialogue is not an easy task. You have to, if you are two partners, speak on the same level of understanding and education. In that respect, China is of course a big country which has set many examples of how to do better.

In that respect, if you want to engage in equal dialogue, you must be prepared. You must be educated enough to propose anything and to answer to proposals of others. Sometimes, around the world, this dialogue is not equal, and then it becomes not really efficient.

In Asia, including Central Asia and Southeast Asia, there are very good practices on how to move forward, and completely different institutions in different countries. We are learning how to do things together. China is learning, Central Asia is learning, ASEAN is learning, and we will get together in different formats and on different platforms.

I would also name such an institution like BRICS, which is a different institution. This is an institution without a precise charter but very influential around the world. It’s another multilateral platform showing a good example of how to move forward. BRICS is a Global South institution and now the GDP of BRICS countries has surpassed that of G7, the most advanced economies. BRICS is not against the West. It’s for prosperity and cooperation within the Global South.