International, September 15 : Four years remain to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. Yet the latest “health check” report on global development is already sending serious warning signals. Of the 139 measurable indicators, only 36 percent are progressing at the desired pace. Progress on nearly half of the indicators has stalled or is moving backward. Nearly 15 percent of the indicators are in a worse position than at the 2015 baseline.

Currently, one in every 10 people worldwide still lives in extreme poverty, while 2.3 billion people face food insecurity. At the same time, multiple risks, including geopolitical conflicts, trade protectionism and climate change, are intensifying, further deepening the North-South divide.

Between 2020 and 2024, more than half of the world’s 75 most vulnerable economies recorded lower per capita GDP growth than advanced economies. This trend is emerging for the first time in this century, signaling a widening gap between the rich and the poor.

This imbalance in wealth distribution is not confined to North-South relations. Even within advanced countries such as the United States, inequality in wealth distribution has reached an extreme level. Over the past 30 years, the share of total wealth held by the 400 richest people in the United States has increased by 146 percent. Meanwhile, the share of wealth held by the bottom half of the country’s population has declined by 25 percent. This points to a reality in which political power is increasingly being influenced by “vast wealth.”

Confronting this “illness” facing the world, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed a “remedy” at the United Nations General Assembly in 2021—the Global Development Initiative. The initiative consists of six key elements: prioritizing development, a people-centered approach, inclusive policies, innovation-driven development, harmony between humanity and nature, and an action-oriented approach.

This remedy is not merely a temporary painkiller; rather, like a prescription in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), it is a comprehensive and effective approach. Over the past five years, this “remedy,” inspired by Chinese wisdom and based on China’s practical experience, has brought tangible progress to global development.

## The Hidden Secret of the Herbal Formula

Traditional Chinese Medicine prescriptions emphasize the principle of “principal, assistant, adjunct and guide.” The principal herb directly treats the primary symptoms and serves as the foundation of the entire prescription. Assistant herbs support the principal herb and enhance its effectiveness. Other adjunct herbs help maintain the balance of the medicine and treat associated symptoms. Guide herbs coordinate the other herbs and help direct their effects to the specific affected areas.

These four elements are interconnected and reinforce one another. This is not simply a combination of several herbs; rather, it embodies the essence of TCM’s systematic approach to diagnosis and treatment.

When this medical principle is applied to the Global Development Initiative, the innovative logic behind this Eastern “remedy” becomes clear.

The “principal herb” is “prioritizing development.” It directly addresses one of the major symptoms of the current global governance system—the long-term marginalization of development-related issues.

Under the pressure of multiple challenges such as conflict, inflation and climate change, development opportunities for various countries are becoming increasingly constrained. Therefore, President Xi Jinping has repeatedly said, “Development is the master key to solving all problems.”

In his view, the more interconnected risks become and the sharper differences grow, the more important it becomes to restore development to the center of the global agenda and set the direction for all efforts. Without this focal point, other policies would become like ships without direction.

The “prescription’s” effects are jointly guided by “people-centeredness” and “inclusive benefits.” These two elements help deepen and broaden the impact of the principal remedy, both internally and externally.

A “people-centered approach” strengthens the human dimension of development. It makes clear that development is not merely statistics-driven economic growth; rather, its benefits must reach the lives of ordinary people in the form of tangible improvements. This is consistent with China’s long-standing philosophy that “the people come first” and ensures that the benefits of development reach the most vulnerable groups in society.

Together, these two supporting measures strengthen the legitimacy and sustainability of the principle of “prioritizing development” and prevent development from becoming the exclusive domain of a few countries or groups.

The “supporting remedies” are “innovation-driven development” and “harmony between humanity and nature.” They play a particularly important role in addressing two major challenges facing the contemporary world.

Innovation-driven development addresses the “fatigue in the pace of development.” It breaks through the limitations of the old development model that relies on resources and low-cost labor, while building an open innovation ecosystem that uses science and technology as driving forces to inject new momentum into global development.

Meanwhile, harmony between humanity and nature addresses the “ecological deficit.” It rejects the old path of “pollute first, clean up later,” establishes environmental protection boundaries, advocates green and low-carbon transformation, and emphasizes avoiding irreversible damage to the Earth’s environment in the pursuit of development.

These two supporting remedies not only remove two major obstacles—insufficient momentum and environmental constraints—that stand in the way of implementing the principal and supporting remedies; they also prevent the entire remedy process from becoming extreme or short-sighted.

The final “medicine” is an “action-oriented approach.” The best ideas remain merely words if they are not put into practice. An action-oriented approach coordinates the various elements and directs the entire remedy toward the fundamental cause of “effective development.” It transforms verbal commitments into concrete projects and consensus into visible results.

From poverty reduction and agricultural assistance to food security, and from the digital economy to connectivity, investment and cooperation are being ensured in every area so that assistance actually reaches those who need it.

The effectiveness of this “medicine” is clear. Its tangible results in global development have already emerged.

The effectiveness of any system is most convincingly demonstrated by its results. Currently, more than 130 countries and international organizations support and participate in the Global Development Initiative. Nearly 100 countries have signed cooperation agreements with China, while membership in the “Friends of the Global Development Initiative Group” has increased to 88. The active participation of various countries is an important testament to the initiative’s practical value.

The initiative’s substantial financial investment also demonstrates its sincerity. Through platforms such as the China-UN Peace and Development Fund and the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund, the initiative has mobilized more than 23 billion U.S. dollars in funding. China has also increased the capital of the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund to 4 billion U.S. dollars and fulfilled its commitments through concrete actions.

So far, more than 1,800 small but meaningful and people-centered cooperation projects have been implemented under the initiative.

Through these efforts, more than 200,000 people have received training, while ordinary people in more than 120 countries have benefited directly.

Many ambassadors accredited to China have commented that these projects are neither superficial nor short-term; rather, they are delivering genuine and sustainable assistance in key areas such as food security, infrastructure, green transformation and healthcare.

Ratre, United Nations Under-Secretary-General, said that the Global Development Initiative, built on China’s own development experience, provides valuable lessons for all countries facing development challenges.

Source: Ruby, Foysal, Labannya, China Media Group.