Chinese President Xi Jinping's speech at the 2022 World Economic Forum (WEF) virtual session has shed new light on addressing challenges of the times, boosted confidence in global anti-pandemic cooperation, and gathered strength in building a better post-pandemic world, experts worldwide said.
"Facts have shown once again that amidst the raging torrents of a global crisis, countries are not riding separately in some 190 small boats, but are rather all in a giant ship on which our shared destiny hinges," Xi said on Monday.
"Small boats may not survive a storm, but a giant ship is strong enough to brave a storm," he said.
Xi's remarks constituted an "important milestone" in promoting global cooperation following the COVID-19 pandemic, said Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the WEF.
Dialogue and cooperation leading to joint solutions is "the only key" for humanity living in peace and prosperity, he stressed, echoing Xi's remarks in 2017 on building a community with a shared future for mankind.
Schwab also wished China "great success for the forthcoming Olympic Games."
Stephen Perry, chairman of Britain's 48 Group Club, noted that Xi in his address stated China's position to stand against all forms of unilateralism, protectionism, hegemony or power politics, which is an aspect of multilateralism that all can subscribe to.
He called on nations to work collectively on matters such as health, climate control and many others.
Former Prime Minister of Croatia Jadranka Kosor said Xi's speech shows the path of win-win cooperation for the benefit of people around the world, and that China has conducted good cooperation with other countries.
In the context of the unprecedented pandemic, all parties should realize the importance of international cooperation, Kosor said, adding that multilateralism is crucial in such areas as economic and trade cooperation, and without such cooperation, the world economy will face disastrous consequences.
Following the pandemic, humanity should reject the ideas of protectionism and hegemony, and move towards true multilateralism, said Sergei Lukonin, head of the Department of Economics and Politics of China at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
China's cooperation with its partners is "effective and positive," reflecting the interests of all parties, and it will continue improving, Lukonin said.
Herman Tiu Laurel, founder of Philippine BRICS Strategic Studies, noted that China has made COVID-19 vaccines a global public good and thereupon donated and delivered billions of doses to countries in need.
In the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, China sets the example of how a major country can lead in the building of a better world for all mankind, Laurel said.
During the session, Xi called on the international community to embrace cooperation and jointly defeat the pandemic, resolve various risks and promote steady recovery of the world economy, bridge the development divide and revitalize global development, and discard a Cold War mentality and seek peaceful coexistence and win-win outcomes.
Efem Ubi, a researcher with the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, said Xi's call is in line with China's vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind.
With a looming global recession, the future of Africa further portends gloom if it fails to respond to the crisis, and therefore it is highly expected that developed countries and major countries in the world will play the role of an economic engine and make more concerted efforts and cooperation to pull the world out of the mire of the pandemic, he said.
