The rise of the Global South is the most momentous shift the world has seen since World War II; it reinforces and expands the force for good on the international stage. In keeping with this shift, the Global South must enjoy greater representation and say in international affairs. This will not only correct a historical injustice, but also provide a wealth of ideas for improving global governance\u2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Momentous transformations not seen in a century are unfolding before our eyes at a faster pace. While unilateralism and bullying resurge and the governance deficit widens, our world is decidedly moving toward multipolarity and greater democracy in international relations. This is the trend of our times and the trajectory of history, overwhelming and unstoppable. Humanity is woven together by intertwined interests and a shared future. We should unite as one, rise to the challenges, and take proactive, strong and persistent steps to make the GGI a full reality.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Restructuring the World Order<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
At the Xiong\u2019an forum, China presented a concept for restructuring the world order in which the idea of One Humanity must take precedence over all national or particular interests. This idea is not really new, since it is implicit in the UN Charter; but above all, however, it is consistent with the traditional Confucian ideal of the harmonious development of all humanity. This intervention comes not a moment too soon, for the so-called \u201crules-based order\u201d is disintegrating, and chaos reigns in large parts of the world. Even Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney had to admit what the Global South has long known: The narratives of the international rules-based order were skewed, insofar as they encouraged the stronger to exempt themselves whenever it suited them, and \u201ctrade terms were imposed asymmetrically.\u201d The Global Governance Initiative, by contrast, proposes a world order built on five core principles\u2014sovereign equality, international law, multilateralism, the common good, and real results\u2014with the aim of promoting a more just and equitable global governance system and cooperation for a shared future of humanity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Given the worldview that prevails in the West, most journalists and politicians find it hard to imagine that China is genuinely motivated by altruistic ideals; instead, they tend to project their own motives onto China, claiming that China merely seeks to replace American imperialism and European colonialism with Chinese ambitions of power. In reality, Chinese philosophy is very different, and historically it rests very strongly on, among other things, the concept of tianxia,<\/em> which goes back to the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046\u2013771 B.C.) and means roughly \u201call under heaven.\u201d President Xi Jinping\u2019s concept of a shared future for humanity is in keeping with this idea. The \u201cCanon of Yao,\u201d the first chapter of the Book of Documents<\/em>, China\u2019s first collection of historical texts, presents the idea of \u201charmony among the states\u201d\u2014an idea also found in the various writings of Confucius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the history of ideas in Europe, one has to go back to thinkers such as Nicholas of Cusa and his conception that harmony in the macrocosm requires all microcosms to develop into a harmonious whole, or to Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz\u2019s idea of a preestablished harmony. Alexander von Humboldt thought along similar lines, understanding the world as a network of interconnected natural and human systems; so, of course, did Friedrich Schiller, for whom the world citizen and the patriot formed a unity, and Ludwig van Beethoven, with the hymn to humanity expressed in his Ninth Symphony: \u201cAlle Menschen werden Br\u00fcder!\u201d (All men shall become brethren!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n The forum brought together people united by their concern over the present state of humanity and by the struggle for a better world order. Schiller Institute founder Helga Zepp-LaRouche also spoke on several of the many topics discussed in the 22 panels. In the panel on reform of the financial system, she warned urgently of an uncontrolled financial collapse triggered by the energy price shock:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Given the fact that the financial system is already extremely overstretched, and that energy prices could rise further, since the war in the Middle East could even escalate, I think the potential for a collapse of the system worse than 2008 is very real. My question is: Is China\u2014or any other government\u2014preparing contingency plans? Because if [the collapse] happens in an uncontrolled way, the world would face an absolutely unprecedented catastrophe, which would increase the danger of wars spinning out of control, not only in the Middle East but also in Ukraine. So is there any contingency planning for this possibility?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Zepp-LaRouche also spoke up in the panel on cultural dialogue. She spoke about the key role of Nicholas of Cusa in overcoming the apparent contradictions between cultures:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes, I would like to say something about how one can find a corresponding idea [to the Confucian idea of harmony] in European philosophy, because the whole world is currently very worried about the direction Europe is taking. And I think we have to go back to the 15th Century, to the philosopher Nicholas of Cusa, whose ideas are entirely in line with Confucius\u2014namely, the idea of harmony in diversity, the notion that peace in the macrocosm can only come about through the development of all microcosms. He also developed the idea of the coincidentia oppositorum,<\/em> the coincidence of opposites, that is, the notion that the One has a higher power than the Many. And I see a great correspondence between this idea and Xi Jinping\u2019s conception of a shared [future for the One] Humanity, according to which the One Humanity holds a greater significance and the diversity of all cultures finds its resolution. Because in every single civilization, including those we see in Dunhuang [in western China, with the Mogao and other caves\u2014ed.], universal ideas find expression, albeit in different forms, and that is precisely what makes unity possible. So I think that in order to find a solution to the present difficult situation, it is extremely important that the idea of this harmony in diversity be spread to every part of the world, including Europe.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n In keeping with the spirit of renewal that pervaded the forum, it met in the \u201cCity of the Future,\u201d Xiong\u2019an, a newly built city constructed over the past nine years at Xi Jinping\u2019s initiative. It is part of the effort to relocate heavy industry from Beijing to the Hebei-Tianjin-Xiong\u2019an region in order to relieve the capital. Xiong\u2019an is meant to be a model of the urban planning of the future: In this \u201csmart city,\u201d the utility infrastructure is located underground, in order to keep to a minimum the distances residents must cover for shopping and other basic needs, while at the same time making an aesthetic way of life possible through the integration of landscape gardening, which China has brought to perfection\u2014with a planned 70-percent share of green space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Helga](\"https:\/\/storage.ghost.io\/c\/13\/14\/13145f0f-7ca7-48d5-a803-53961cc389d1\/content\/images\/2026\/11\/image-1.jpg\")
<\/a>Zepp-LaRouche Addresses the Conference<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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