GSI gains fresh backing as risks grow

As global security risks intensify, diplomats and experts have said that the Global Security Initiative is becoming increasingly relevant, seeing it as a Chinese proposal for promoting dialogue, multilateralism and practical cooperation in an increasingly unstable world.

Tuesday marks the fourth anniversary of the GSI. The initiative was proposed by President Xi Jinping at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference in 2022. The initiative advocates a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and calls for respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries.

According to the Report on the Global Security Situation (2025), released on Monday by the China Institute of International Studies in Beijing, global security is coming under mounting strain, with interstate conflicts reaching a post-World War II high, the arms race intensifying, and nontraditional threats from humanitarian crises to terrorism and transnational crime growing more acute.

Wang Lixin, director-general of the Foreign Ministry's Department of Security Cooperation, said that the GSI promotes a new path to security based on dialogue rather than confrontation, partnership rather than alliance, and win-win cooperation rather than zero-sum rivalry, offering a path toward addressing global security dilemmas.

She said the initiative is not only about principles, but also about implementation, noting that China has promoted peace talks on flashpoints, including the Middle East and Ukraine, while expanding security cooperation and capacity-building with developing countries.

Wang added that China will work with countries of the Global South to strengthen the forces for peace and security, oppose hegemonism and power politics, and bring greater stability to a turbulent world.

Martin Charles, Dominica's ambassador to China, said that China has been "bringing stability" to the world and described it as "a unifying force".

He said China has played "a critical role in bringing about global peace" through its efforts on arms control, climate change and conflict resolution, and has "always been at the center of trying to bring different parties together to resolve conflicts and issues".

On the initiative, Charles said it is more relevant than ever and expressed Dominica's firm support, saying, "We believe that this is the direction that we should go, because humanity needs to be at peace in this world."

Since its inception, the initiative has won the support of more than 130 countries and regions as well as international organizations.

Carlos Raul Vasquez Corrales, Peru's ambassador to China, said that international law remains essential to prevent the further erosion of the international system, but warned that its inconsistent application has made fragmentation worse and consensus harder to build. He called for stronger multilateralism, with dialogue and negotiated solutions taking precedence over confrontation.

He also said the Global South is emerging as a more important force for peace, development and a more balanced international order, adding that strategies such as China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) underscore the need for a stable international environment for development.

Wang Fan, former president of China Foreign Affairs University, said one of the deeper challenges in global security governance is the clash between competing security concepts, with the Global South's vision of shared security at odds with a Western approach shaped by power politics.

He said that China's proposals are not meant to overturn the existing international order, but to improve it through more inclusive rules and mechanisms. Citing the International Organization for Mediation, he said the body adds mediation to existing legal channels, offering broader options for resolving international disputes.

Yang Mingjie, former president of the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said that China's major global initiatives are aligned with the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter.

He called for upholding the authority of the UN in international security affairs, warning that unilateralism and reliance on power politics will only deepen global instability.

Yang added that geopolitical conflicts are also increasing the risk of fragmentation in the world economy, underscoring the need to better balance development and security and advance a more inclusive form of economic globalization.