Published by: GLOBAL TIMES

Time: 2026.1.23

A series of events in early 2026 have delivered a heavy blow to multilateralism and global governance. This prompts the unavoidable question: is the world sliding back to the law of the jungle? Yet a divided world is in no position to address the common challenges confronting humanity. The only way forward is to uphold and practice true multilateralism and advance the building of a community with a shared future for humanity. As comprehensive strategic partners that both champion a multipolar world and multilateralism, China and the European Union are uniquely placed to advance the community with a shared future for humanity-a mission of great significance and perfect timeless.

President Xi Jinping put forward a community with a shared future for mankind as an original and major vision. It stands as China’s most significant public good for the international community and offers China’s answer to the defining question of our time: “What kind of world should we build, and how?” This vision has been written into the United Nations General Assembly resolutions and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit declarations for consecutive years, incorporated into numerous bilateral and multilateral documents. Its core essence enshrined in the United Nations Compact of Future — emerging as a globally recognized public good with far-reaching significance. To date, dozens of countries have reached key consensus with China on building bilateral communities of shared future. The Belt and Road spans three-quarters of the world’s nations and China’s four global initiatives enjoy backing from over 100 countries and international organizations.

The concept of building a community with a shared future for humanity has driven a historic shift in international relations: from seeking common ground while shelving differences to shared destiny and collective responsibility for the globe. At this pivotal juncture, it has provided the world with clear guidance for development and has received widespread acclaim from the international community. However, it is regrettable that EU member states remain outside the initiative. This stands in stark contrast to the close bonds between China and the EU in trade, economy, culture, science and education. The underlying causes warrant in-depth reflection, and one critical factor is arguably that Europe’s overarching perception of China—the defining lens—remains distorted.

Can China and the EU jointly build a community with a shared future for mankind? The answer is yes. Especially at a time when hegemonism threatens the global stability, China and the EU—as two major forces, two large markets and two civilizations in today’s world—share the common responsibility to uphold the authority of international law and the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter. Both sides need to rise above trade frictions and political differences, bind themselves together by shared interests, be guide by shared responsibilities and advance the building of a community with a shared future. In practice, both sides also possess a solid foundation to do so.

Ideologically, the Chinese nation has long embraced traditional values such as “all under heaven are of one family”, “the whole world as one community”, “upholding justice while pursuing /interests” and “living in harmony with neighbors”, These ideas underpin the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind, which is rooted in fairness, justice and mutual benefit. In European philosophy, cosmopolitanism and the ideal of equal cooperation call for transcending national boundaries to pursue the common good and universal peace for all humanity. The European Communities—the precursor of today's European Union—stands as a successful example of Europe’s exploration and practical implementation of the community concept.

On the material and economic front, China and the EU have long followed the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits. Bilateral trade has surged from $2.4 billion at the start of diplomatic relations to $828.1 billion in 2025, while cumulative two-way investment has risen from nearly zero to $280 billion. The China-Europe Railway Express has operated a total of 120,000 trips, reaching over 200 cities across 26 European countries. China and the EU have played a significant leadership in addressing global challenges such as climate change and biodiversity protection. During the China-EU leaders’ meeting in July 2025, both sides issued the Joint Statement on Climate Change by Leaders of China and the European Union. All these developments show that China and the EU have built an interdependent community of shared interests.

What can China and EU do together to build a community with a shared future for mankind? This endeavor is aimed at “building five worlds” and strategically guided by the implementation of four global initiatives. Within this framework, China and the EU share extensive common interests and a solid foundation for cooperation in areas such as climate change, technological innovation, health, and industrial and supply chains. Specifically, the two sides can strengthen dialogue and cooperation on upholding international peace and security, and work to build a new type of international relations featuring mutual respect, fairness and justice and win-win cooperation; they can enhance coordination between the Belt and Road Initiative and the Global Gateway, leveraging their respective strengths to advance global connectivity; they can boost people-to-people exchanges, promote a vision of civilizations featuring equality, mutual learning, dialogue and inclusiveness, and pursue mutual complementarity and joint progress; they can also reinforce green cooperation, consistently acting as advocates of green transition and guardians of multilateral processes, making jointly China-EU contributions to tackling climate change and advancing energy transition.

Europe should be an important member of the community of shared future for mankind. While differences between China and the EU are inevitable—stemming from divergent ideology, history, culture, social systems and stages of development—neither should differing systems lead to viewing each other as adversaries, nor should competition overshadow cooperation, nor should differences escalate into confrontation. China and the EU should act in their fundamental interests and the future of the humanity, stand on the right side of history, uphold international rules and order, and work together as pioneers of dialogue and cooperation, advocates of openness and development, practitioners of multilateralism and promoters of mutual learning among civilizations. In doing so, we can truly achieve mutual success and bring light to the world.