Putin hails China’s global governance proposal

Russian President Vladimir Putin has reiterated his support for China’s proposed global governance reform project, hailing it as a timely initiative aimed at promoting positive ties between the countries that attended the latest Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin.

During his keynote speech on Monday, Chinese President Xi Jinping invoked what he called “the Shanghai spirit” of mutual trust, respect, and pursuit of shared development, and urged SCO members to “oppose the Cold War mentality, bloc confrontation and bullying practices.”

Xi proposed the ‘Global Governance Initiative’, calling on SCO nations to uphold equality, multilateralism and UN authority in order to build a fairer worldwide system.

During a press conference on Wednesday, Putin called the Chinese initiative “very timely and important” and said it would help establish positive collaboration between the countries that gathered at the SCO summit, as well as with those which have yet to declare their desire for partnership.

Putin also stressed that the multipolar world being proposed by Moscow and Beijing and the new global governance system would not entail the rise of new hegemons. “All countries participating in international communication should have equal rights and occupy an equal position,” the Russian president said.

The Russian president also suggested that the outlines of a new multipolar world have largely already taken shape.

Previously, Putin had indicated that the SCO could play a “leading role” in efforts to establish a more just and equitable global governance system, noting that the topic of related reform has become particularly relevant as “some countries still do not abandon their pursuit of dominance in international affairs.”