During the first month of the lunar calendar, many people appear to still be immersed in the festive spirit of the Chinese New Year of the Dragon. The heartfelt wishes of living a happy life one yearns for continue to resonate among loved ones and acquaintances. The words are so familiar. “The people’s wish for a happy life is our mission,” said Xi Jinping, the then newly-elected General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, during a press conference in 2012. His words are a clear and succinct interpretation of the CPC's abiding mission, namely serving the people wholeheartedly. They have also become the whole party’s guide to action for about a decade. In Malaysia, including Sabah, local governments also work towards enabling their people to live the life they aspire. It can be said that a better life for the people is a common goal shared by all responsible governments worldwide.

However, achieving this goal is not without challenges. Great changes are accelerating across the world, which has entered a new period of turbulence and transformation. In 2023, people witnessed lingering effects of COVID-19 and intensified impacts of climate change and food shortages, while regional conflicts rose and fell in different parts of the world. In the face of such uncertainties, people may ask “Where should humanity be heading?” “ What kind of world to build and how to build it?” Building a community with a shared future for mankind is China’s answer to these questions, which is based on President Xi Jinping’s profound strategic thinking about changes of the world, of our times and of historical significance.

Building a community with a shared future for mankind holds comprehensive and profound implications. It’s a scientific system:The goal is to build an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world of lasting peace, universal security and shared prosperity; the pathway is promoting global governance that features extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefit; the guiding principle is to apply the common values of humanity; the basic underpinning lies in building a new type of international relations; the strategic guidance comes from the implementation of the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the Global Security Initiative (GSI) and the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI); and the platform for action is high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. On this basis, we hope to work with countries of the world to meet challenges and achieve prosperity for all.

Building of a community with a shared future for mankind has garnered wide support. It responds to the universal aspiration of all peoples for peace, development and cooperation, identifies the fundamental path to solve global issues and are warmly echoed by the international community. Since it was put forward by President Xi Jinping in 2013, building a community with a shared future for mankind has developed from a Chinese initiative to an international consensus, from a promising vision to substantive actions, and from a conceptual proposition to a scientific system. It has served as a glorious banner leading the progress of the times. The vision has been written into resolutions of UN General Assembly for seven years in a row, and included in resolutions or declarations of multilateral mechanisms like the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and BRICS. So far, China has engaged with dozens of countries and regions in building communities with a shared future in various forms, and promoted the vision in multiple fields such as health, the relationship between man and nature, cyberspace, and maritime development. These initiatives have pointed the direction for humanity to pursue common development, lasting tranquility and mutual learning between civilizations.

Building a community with a shared future for mankind requires two solid foundations. It cannot be realized overnight. In order to further build international consensus and form a concerted effort to build a community with a shared future for mankind,China calls for an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization. These two major propositions will lay a more solid foundation for building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Multipolarity is the general trend of the world today. The multipolar world China champions is one based on equality. It means all countries, regardless of their size, are treated as equals; hegemonism and power politics are rejected; international affairs are not dominated by only a handful of countries; and democracy is truly promoted in international relations. Each and every country or country group should have its place in the multipolar system, and the conventional myth that multipolarity is the monopoly of a few big powers should be debunked. The multipolar world China champions is one based on order. It means that the progress toward greater multipolarity should be generally stable and constructive. It should be a historical process in which countries choose solidarity over division, communication over confrontation, and cooperation over conflict. If all countries can observe the purposes and principles of the U.N. Charter, uphold the universally recognized basic norms governing international relations, and practice true multilateralism, multipolarity will not lead to turbulence or disorder.

Economic globalization is an irreversible trend of the times. The economic globalization China advocates is one that is universally beneficial. It means meeting the common needs of all countries, especially the developing countries, properly addressing the development imbalances between and within countries resulting from the global allocation of resources, and delivering balanced and adequate development. This will help foster a globalization process that enables faster development of all countries, especially the developing countries, and realize universal benefit and common prosperity. The economic globalization China advocates is one that is inclusive. It means supporting all countries in pursuing development paths suited to their respective national realities while joining hands to promote the common development of the entire humanity. All forms of unilateralism and protectionism should be opposed, and all attempts to impose discriminatory or exclusionary standards and rules should be rejected. Trade and investment liberalization and facilitation should be promoted, global industrial and supply chains should be kept stable and unimpeded, and there should be mutual respect for the legitimate interests and reasonable concerns. This is the way to overcome the structural problems hindering the healthy development of the world economy and sustain the dynamism and momentum of global economic growth.

In 2023, President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim reached an important consensus on building a China-Malaysia community with a shared future, opening a new chapter of our bilateral relations. The total number of China-Malaysia bilateral trade for the year 2023 reached 1338.3 billion yuan. China has been Malaysia's largest trading partner for 15 consecutive years. Both countries have applied a visa-free policy, which has greatly benefited the people-to-people exchanges and cooperation between our two countries. The year 2023 has also witnessed fruitful developments of the friendly relations between China and Sabah. The Chief Minister of Sabah, as well as some other Cabinet Ministers and State Legislative Assemblymen/women visited China, which has given rise to the exchanges and cooperation between the two places. Sabah has carried out friendly exchanges with several provinces and cities in China. Cooperation between us in all areas like investments, trade and culture has been enhanced with a strong momentum.

2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Malaysia. In the new year, let’s keep on joining hands in realizing people’s wish for a desired happy life by implementing the consensus between the leaders of our two countries, expanding practical cooperation, and achieving our respective development goals. We thus can bring more tangible benefits to our people and contribute to the building of a community with a share future for mankind!