White paper charts path for governance reform

International affairs experts view China's newly released white paper as a significant and timely contribution to discussions on reforming the global governance system amid mounting challenges such as geopolitical tensions, economic fragmentation and development deficits.

They note that the document emphasizes reforming and improving existing institutions rather than replacing them, with a strong focus on the central role of the United Nations, sovereign equality, true multilateralism based on extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, as well as greater representation and voice for the Global South.

The white paper, titled "More Just and Equitable Global Governance: China's Principles, Proposals and Actions", was published by the State Council Information Office of China earlier this month. It states that "building a just and equitable global governance system is a shared vision long pursued by people from across the world".

It reviews how unilateralism, protectionism, and hegemonism have been spreading unchecked, while deficits in peace, development, security and trust continue to expand. In response, President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Governance Initiative in September 2025 at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Plus Meeting in Tianjin. The initiative has swiftly gained support from nearly 160 countries and international organizations, with over 60 countries joining the Group of Friends of Global Governance at the United Nations.

Denis Simon, a senior research fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, described the paper as "a major Chinese government statement on global governance".

Its central message, Simon told China Daily, is that "the existing international order should not be overthrown, but reformed around the UN, sovereign equality, multipolarity, development, Global South representation and true multilateralism".

China has consistently supported the UN-centered international system. According to the white paper, China has increased its contribution to the UN regular budget from less than 1 percent in 2000 to over 20 percent in 2025, making it the second-largest contributor. It has dispatched more than 50,000 peacekeepers in 29 operations authorized by the UN Security Council. It is also the second-largest contributor to the UN peacekeeping budget and the largest troop contributor among the permanent members of the council.

On-the-ground experience

Alex Vines, program director of Africa at the European Council on Foreign Relations, offered practical insights based on years of on-the-ground experience. On China's role in UN peacekeeping, he told China Daily: "China's contribution is significant, especially because it combines Security Council weight, assessed financial contributions and uniformed personnel. I have seen on-the-ground Chinese engineers, medical units and police in action over the last 20 years in countries like Liberia, and they have often filled practical capability gaps. This can strengthen UN effectiveness where missions need mobility, infrastructure, logistics and disciplined contingents."

The white paper promotes "true multilateralism" based on extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, while opposing unilateralism, hegemony and bloc politics. Vines noted that this emphasis "resonates strongly across Africa, where many governments remain skeptical of externally prescribed solutions and seek greater agency in shaping their own development and security trajectories".

The white paper also stresses the importance of hearing more voices from the Global South.

Simon observed that the paper calls for greater influence for developing countries, especially the Global South, in institutions such as the UN Security Council, IMF and World Bank to address underrepresentation.

Vines highlighted Africa's case for reform. "Africa has a strong case: it is underrepresented in the Security Council, IMF and World Bank despite being central to peacekeeping, climate vulnerability, minerals, food security and demographic change. The opportunity is to convert collective African positions into bargaining power," he said.

China's practical contributions are detailed extensively in the white paper. It has promoted high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, with the volume of trade in goods between China and BRI participants reaching 23.6 trillion yuan ($3.46 trillion) in 2025, up by 6.3 percent year-on-year.

The Global Security Initiative links security and development. Vines said that its emphasis on sovereignty and noninterference "will resonate with many African governments, particularly those that have grown frustrated with external conditionality". He stressed that conflicts require political settlements, functioning institutions and long-term investment. The real test "will be whether it can contribute to conflict de-escalation, support credible mediation efforts, help finance recovery and reconstruction, and strengthen state capacity in ways that promote stability and accountability".

Simon sees the white paper as positioning China "not merely as a rising power, but as a system-shaping power". It presents China as "the defender of the UN Charter, the champion of developing countries, the architect of new governance norms, and the organizer of alternative coalitions such as BRICS Plus and the SCO".

yifanxu@chinadailyusa.com