China's initiatives to promote multilateral cooperation and governance contribute to global peace and development toward a shared future, experts said at a forum in Hong Kong on Tuesday.

"It is no doubt that we are living in a world where no single power can resolve all problems and that unilateralism is not an answer," said Irina Bokova, former director-general of UNESCO and a senior adviser to the Board of Directors of the Europe-Asia Center.

In her special address at the 2026 Hong Kong Forum on Cooperation and Development, Bokova said the China-proposed Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, Global Civilization Initiative and Global Governance Initiative support multilateralism, a concept at the core of the United Nations Charter.

Romano Prodi, former prime minister of Italy and former president of the European Commission, said via video, "Peace must be built step-by-step from dialogue, through mutual respect and through the willingness to listen."

With Europe and China both playing crucial roles on the global stage, Prodi said he hopes the two sides will continue to cooperate to create a peaceful environment for the world.

In a keynote address, Ivan Polyakov, vice-president of the Russian International Affairs Council, said that multilateralism is of utmost importance for creating a new and sustainable information space. Ties between media networks lie in the existence of common channels, exchange and shared values, he said.

Polyakov, also chairman of TV BRICS, said the multilingual international platform has united more than 100 media outlets worldwide, with the materials distributed to about 80 countries.

Josef Gregory Mahoney, a professor of politics and international relations at East China Normal University in Shanghai, highlighted the significance of China's new internationalism in global affairs, saying it stands in sharp contrast to the binary, us-versus-them mindset of certain countries.

China's initiatives have always aimed for a shared future for humanity and the actualization of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, he said.

Cheung Kwok-kwan, deputy secretary for justice of the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, said the city can also contribute to the building of a community with a shared future for humanity under "one country, two systems".

For example, he said the launch of the International Organization for Mediation in Hong Kong last year is important for improving global governance and promoting world peace and stability, with the city ranking second-most preferred seat of arbitration globally in the 2025 International Arbitration Survey.

Echoing the view, Chow Mankong, a professor of practice in the Department of Data Science at City University of Hong Kong, said he believes the city will be able to demonstrate to the world its strength and capabilities as an international legal and dispute-resolution hub.

"It will further promote the vision of win-win cooperation and shared development within the international community," said Chow, who is also chairman of the Greater Bay Area Development Foundation.

Themed "Cooperation and Development: Advancing the Building of a Community with a Shared Future for Humanity", the forum was organized by the Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies, Peace Research Institute Hong Kong, and China-Europe-America Global Initiative, bringing together more than 100 participants from nearly 10 countries.