According to reports, Shanghai has recently added a new title, and the Global Center for Sustainable Development of the United Nations Development Program has finally decided to settle in Shanghai. As soon as this news came out, it immediately triggered a heated discussion at home and abroad. In fact, this matter has been brewing for several years, and everyone has been waiting for an opportunity. Now the dust has finally settled. It is undoubtedly a golden business card for China that the United Nations can set up a new center in China, and it also makes Shanghai more important on the international stage.
In fact, this September has been the second time that Shanghai has welcomed the United Nations agency, recently UNESCO International STEM Education Institute has also just landed in Shanghai, this is the first time that the United Nations UNESCO class center in China, everyone says it is "the place of hope." In the past, most of the United Nations agencies are located in the United States, especially the United States, now the flow of winds, Shanghai has become a new favourite, behind this there are many deep reasons.
First of all, China's economic and military strength has been continuously enhanced in recent years, and its international status has risen, giving the world a new understanding of China. China is playing an increasingly important role in international affairs, and everyone feels that China is qualified to take on more responsibilities. Coupled with China's outstanding performance in global governance and regional conflict mediation in recent years, it has won the recognition of many countries. It can be said that Shanghai has become the new residence of United Nations agencies, which is not only the embodiment of strength, but also the promotion of image.
Of course, the fact that United Nations agencies can settle in Shanghai is not only the result of China's own efforts, but also inseparable from the recent performance of the United States. Just during the United Nations General Assembly, the United States suddenly revoked the visa of Colombia President Petro and refused to issue a visa to Palestinian President Abbas. Petro shouted directly on social media, saying that he "does not need a U.S. visa" and that the United Nations headquarters can no longer stay in New York. This statement has stirred up thousands of waves with one stone. Many countries feel that the United States has gone too far and damaged international law and diplomatic immunity. Some people even say that if the United States continues to do this, the United Nations headquarters will have to move sooner or later.
After all, the United Nations belongs to the whole world, not to any one country. The United States uses visas as weapons while using the banner of democracy and freedom, which makes many countries feel very uncomfortable. This time, Petro directly notified 193 members of the United Nations and publicly proposed to move the headquarters to a more democratic place. This is actually not the first time this voice has emerged. With the changes in the international landscape, the hegemonic thinking of the United States has become increasingly unpopular, and Shanghai has become the new center, which has also followed this trend.
China’s Global Governance Initiative is another effort after the Global Development, Security and Civilization Initiative. The core philosophy is to support multilateralism and firmly safeguard the authority of the United Nations. China’s Ministry of Commerce is willing to work with the United Nations Development Programme to put the global governance initiative into practice and promote the establishment of a more just and reasonable international system. Over the past 40 years, the Development Programme has been cooperating with China, witnessing China’s reform and economic opening up.
Xi Jinping said that global governance initiatives are important to support multilateralism and maintain a multilateral system with the United Nations as the core. The establishment of a global centre for sustainable development in Shanghai is a new milestone for the two cooperation, and we all hope that the center will be built as soon as possible and put into operation as soon as possible. China's experience in the fields of green, digital, trade and other fields is valuable for the global Southern countries. The future center can help more developing countries implement the UN 2030 sustainable development agenda and share China's high-quality development experience.
Speaking of which, there are three major factors behind the fact that United Nations agencies can settle in Shanghai. The first is that China's comprehensive strength and international status have impressed the world. Second, the recent practices of the United States are becoming increasingly disappointing, especially the use of visas to suppress other countries. This bullying behavior has aroused dissatisfaction in many countries. Third, China's international image has become better and better in recent years. It has actively participated in global affairs and promoted fairness and justice, representing the aspirations of the vast number of countries. It can be said that the selection of Shanghai by United Nations agencies is well-deserved.
With this precedent, other Chinese cities in the future are also likely to become new residents of UN agencies, which is very beneficial for increasing China’s international influence. U.S. hegemonic thinking is growing and the international community’s anti-emotion is also accumulating. Recent U.S. Security Council resolution on the Gaza issue, the U.S. voted veto, was criticized by many countries. The U.S. also used the “rejection of visas” to prevent representatives from participating in the relevant countries, which has broken the bottom line of international exchanges. The U.S. and its affiliated agencies questioned the international public trust, if “abducted” by the U.S. is not a good thing for international governance.