The policy brief by Farangiz Junasheva, UWED master’s student, examines China’s Global Governance Initiative (GGI), introduced by President Xi Jinping in 2025, and its place within Beijing’s broader vision for reforming the international order. It analyses the initiative’s core principles, including sovereign equality, multilateralism, the central role of the United Nations, stronger representation of the Global South, and the reform of international institutions to reflect shifts in the global balance of power.

The brief places the GGI within the wider framework of China’s global initiatives, alongside the Global Development Initiative (GDI), Global Security Initiative (GSI), Global Civilisation Initiative (GCI) and the Belt and Road Initiative. Particular attention is paid to the significance of the GGI for developing countries, which may view its emphasis on representation, the right to development and greater participation in global rule-making as an alternative approach to international cooperation. At the same time, the author considers critical perspectives questioning whether China’s rhetoric of equitable global governance fully corresponds with its economic and foreign-policy practices.

The analysis concludes that the GGI reflects a broader transformation in China’s international role: from adapting to the existing global governance system towards seeking a more active role in shaping its norms, institutions and mechanisms. The initiative can therefore be understood both as a conceptual proposal for reforming global governance and as an instrument through which Beijing seeks to expand its normative and political influence internationally.

* The Institute for Advanced International Studies (IAIS) does not take institutional positions on any issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the IAIS.