Wang Yi Outlines Four Priorities at GDI 5th Anniversary Meeting in Beijing

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended a high-level meeting in Beijing on July 28, 2026, marking the fifth anniversary of the Global Development Initiative (GDI). Addressing foreign envoys, UN officials including UN Chef de Cabinet Courtenay Rattray, and scholars, Wang proposed four key areas to align the GDI with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. He reaffirmed China's intention to share development opportunities and maintain multilateral cooperation, while attending delegates commended the GDI's practical progress over the past five years.

As global implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals faces headwinds, Beijing is positioning the GDI as a core framework for international development cooperation. Wang's four proposals signal China's priority areas for institutionalizing South-South cooperation and deepening ties with UN development bodies.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended the High-Level Meeting on the 5th Anniversary of the Global Development Initiative (GDI) in Beijing on July 28, 2026, delivering a speech outlining China's vision for future global development cooperation. The conference, themed "GDI at 5 Years: A New Journey toward a Bright Future of Sustainable Development," brought together key international figures, including Courtenay Rattray, UN Under-Secretary-General and Chef de Cabinet to the UN Secretary-General, diplomatic envoys from member countries of the "Group of Friends of the GDI," representatives of UN development entities in China, and academic experts. During his address, Wang noted that five years ago, President Xi Jinping introduced the Global Development Initiative to address crucial questions regarding the trajectory of global development. Over the past five years, Wang stated, the initiative has demonstrated growing conceptual influence, institutional mechanisms across various cooperation fields have continuously improved, and practical cooperation projects have yielded concrete outcomes. He stressed that amid a complex and changing international landscape, the GDI's significance has become increasingly prominent. To further advance implementation, Wang proposed four priorities for aligning the GDI with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: First, strengthen solidarity and cooperation to build a peaceful environment for development. Second, consolidate action to accelerate progress on the 2030 Agenda. Third, promote open collaboration and mutual learning to expand drivers of innovation-based development. Fourth, practice genuine multilateralism to reform and improve global governance structures. Wang emphasized that regardless of shifts in the international environment, China will continue to act as a responsible major power, linking its national growth with global development, serving as a promoter and contributor to global progress, and sharing development opportunities to build a community with a shared future for mankind. According to official state media reports, attending foreign delegates and UN representatives commended the GDI's achievements over the past five years, acknowledging China's leadership in international development cooperation and expressing willingness to deepen ongoing development partnerships.