The leader of China's legislative branch defends multilateralism and proposes a community with a shared future.
Zhao Leji highlights the role of parliaments in peace, international cooperation, and building a more just global governance.
247 - The Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China, Zhao Leji, advocated for the construction of a "community with a shared future for mankind" during the 6th World Conference of Speakers of Parliaments (WCSP), held in Geneva, Switzerland, from July 29 to 31, 2025. The news was reported by... portal Global Times.
In his speech entitled “Defending Multilateralism and Building a Better Home Together,” Zhao emphasized that the world faces severe challenges to peace and development and that parliaments should play a more active role in promoting new forms of international relations. “Parliaments should act as joint advocates for global peace and tranquility, respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries and the development paths chosen by their peoples,” he declared.
In defense of multilateralism and global cooperation.
The Chinese leader stated that legislative bodies have a responsibility to promote global development and shared prosperity, uphold the principle of mutual benefit, support the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core, and provide legal guarantees to boost the collective progress of nations. Zhao also stressed the importance of respecting the diversity of civilizations and promoting inclusive development. According to him, "legislators should uphold and practice true multilateralism, contributing to the construction of a fairer and more reasonable global governance system."
China's commitment to global initiatives
The leader of the National People's Congress reinforced China's commitment to the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative, highlighting that cooperation between parliaments is essential to making such projects a reality. He also presided over the general debate session of the conference, held on Wednesday morning, July 30.
Bilateral meetings and support from the Inter-Parliamentary Union
During the event, Zhao Leji met with parliamentary leaders from various countries, including Brazil, Pakistan, Russia, and Kazakhstan. He also held meetings with the Chairperson of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Tulia Ackson, and Secretary-General Martin Chungong. Ackson highlighted China's firm support for multilateralism and reiterated the IPU's willingness to work together to strengthen cooperation among parliaments. Chungong, in turn, thanked China for its active participation and significant contributions to the entity's work.
The 6th WCSP, held every five years since 2000 by the IPU, brought together parliamentary leaders from 120 countries under the theme "A World in Turmoil: Parliamentary Cooperation and Multilateralism for Peace, Justice and Prosperity for All". The meeting concluded with the adoption of the Conference's High-Level Declaration, reinforcing the commitment of legislative bodies to building an international system based on justice, dialogue and cooperation.
