General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Xi Jinping creatively proposed the initiative of “building a global community of shared future,” providing a Chinese plan for addressing global issues.

Connotations

The concept of a global community with a shared future encompasses broad and profound connotations, which can be understood from three perspectives.

Firstly, as global exchanges deepen, people from all countries are increasingly becoming a “community” that shares weal and woe.

Secondly, the concept emphasizes the importance of countries respecting and peacefully coexisting with each other, rejecting hegemony.

Thirdly, the concept promotes mutual benefits and common development, aiming to create a bright future for all of humanity.

Fine traditional Chinese culture

The concept of a global community of shared future embodies the wisdom of fine traditional Chinese culture. This concept is conducive to inter-civilization exchanges and facilitates the integration of Chinese culture into the global arena.

The concept of a global community of shared future aims to stress that countries should respect each other, treat each other as equals, realize diversity in harmony, and win-win cooperation. This concept not only draws on the essence of Tianxia (a cosmopolitan worldview) and the culture of He (harmony) in traditional Chinese culture, but also creatively develops the Marxist concept of the “community.”

The initiative of a global community of shared future demonstrates the inclusiveness of Chinese modernization and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

The development path of Chinese modernization, created by the Chinese people under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, highlights that Chinese modernization, characterized by inclusiveness and sharing, advances toward a global community of shared future.

A global community of shared future transcends the logic of Western “trap” discourse, demonstrating the pursuit for peaceful development and win-win cooperation.

True community

A global community of shared future innovates and develops Marx’s theory of world history and the concept of “true community.” In practice, China has repeatedly called on all countries to work together to maintain peace and security and build a global community of shared future.

To sum up, a global community of shared future advocates the building of a new type of international relations featuring “mutual respect, fairness, justice, and win-win cooperation.” It possesses distinctive Chinese characteristics, style, and ethos, and transcends the zero-sum game paradigm of the “Thucydides trap.” It refutes the claims of the “Clash of Civilizations” and the “End of History.”

Two integrations

This concept has contributed Chinese wisdom, solutions and strength to push global governance towards a more just and equitable direction.

It effectively serves as an example of the “two integrations” (integrating the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities and fine traditional Chinese culture) by inheriting and developing fine traditional Chinese culture on the one hand, and creatively developing Marx and Engels’s concept of the “community” on the other. It represents the core concept of modern Chinese civilization.

Li Baogeng (professor) and Gao Jiachen are from the School of Marxism Studies at Ningbo University.