Source: File Photo]

China is renewing its push for shared and sustainable development, five years after President Xi Jinping launched the Global Development Initiative at the United Nations.

Speaking at a high-level meeting on the initiative in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi says the GDI has evolved from a Chinese proposal into a global development platform supporting efforts to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Wang says more than 130 countries and international organisations have supported or participated in GDI cooperation, with nearly 100 countries and organisations signing cooperation documents with China.

He says the initiative has also established stronger cooperation mechanisms, including the Group of Friends of the GDI, which now has 88 member countries.

China says more than $23billion US dollars, appromximately $46b Fijian dollars has been mobilised through development funds and other initiatives, supporting more than 1,800 livelihood projects.

More than 200,000 people from developing countries have also received professional training.

Wang says projects involving Juncao technology, satellite data sharing and disaster-warning systems have delivered practical benefits to communities in more than 120 countries.

He says the initiative is particularly relevant as progress towards the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals faces delays, while the gap between developed and developing countries continues to widen.

China is calling for greater international cooperation, increased development financing and stronger access to technology for countries in the Global South.

Wang says China will continue sharing financial and technological resources with developing countries through bilateral, multilateral and trilateral cooperation.

He also highlighted the need to close the digital and artificial intelligence divide between developed and developing countries.

China, together with 28 other countries, recently initiated the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization, which Wang says aims to promote AI development and governance.

He says China will continue aligning its economic growth with what it describes as the common good of the world.

The initiative comes as China begins its 15th Five-Year Plan covering 2026 to 2030.

Wang says China recorded 4.7 percent GDP growth in the first half of 2026, despite what he described as global energy and supply-chain disruptions.

China says it will continue working with other countries to advance the GDI and promote shared development over the next five years.