Phoenix TV Exclusive Interview with Zhou Hong: The Value of the Global Development Initiative and the role of China

The Interview

In September 2021, against the backdrop of profound changes unseen in a century accelerating at a faster pace, President Xi Jinping put forward the Global Development Initiative (GDI) from the perspective of the common development of all mankind, calling on the international community to place development back at the center of the international agenda. This year marks the fifth anniversary of the GDI. Amid the current global setbacks to development, the Initiative has become increasingly forward-looking and relevant to the times. Its core tenets—staying committed to development as a priority, a people-centered approach, inclusiveness and universal benefit, innovation-driven development, harmony between humanity and nature, and results-oriented actions—constitute a robust Chinese response to the chaos and dilemmas plaguing global development.

On 7 April 2026, Zhou Hong, Chairperson of the Academic Committee of the International Cooperation Center (ICC) and Member of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), gave an exclusive interview to Phoenix TV in Beijing.