Why Building a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind Forms the Greatest Common Denominator for Building a Better World

In his speech at the meeting commemorating the 50th anniversary of the restoration of the lawful seat of the People’s Republic of China in the United Nations, President Xi Jinping pointed out, “Building a community with a shared future for mankind is not about replacing one system with another or one civilization with another. It is about countries with different social systems, ideologies, histories, cultures, and levels of development coming together to share interests, rights, and responsibilities in international affairs, forming the greatest common denominator for building a better world.” Building a community with a shared future for mankind is China’s proposal for what kind of world to build and how to build it. It conforms to the universal aspirations of people of all countries, points the direction for the progress of world civilization, and is the lofty goal pursued by major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics in the New Era.

习近平主席在中华人民共和国恢复联合国合法席位50周年纪念会议上的讲话中指出，“推动构建人类命运共同体，不是以一种制度代替另一种制度，不是以一种文明代替另一种文明，而是不同社会制度、不同意识形态、不同历史文化、不同发展水平的国家在国际事务中利益共生、权利共享、责任共担，形成共建美好世界的最大公约数”。构建人类命运共同体是对建设一个什么样的世界、怎样建设这个世界给出的中国方案，顺应了各国人民的普遍愿望，指明了世界文明进步的方向，是新时代中国特色大国外交追求的崇高目标。

Building a community with a shared future for mankind has significant theoretical value, far-reaching world significance, and powerful practical force. On the basis of adhering to Marxist theories of world history and community, it forms a more historically profound reflection on the future of humanity and a more epochal guide for the direction of human progress, endowing Marxism with new contemporary and practical significance. Only by deeply understanding these elements can one more accurately grasp the rich connotation of “building a community with a shared future for mankind is not about replacing one system with another or one civilization with another.”

构建人类命运共同体具有重大理论价值、深远世界意义、强大实践伟力。构建人类命运共同体是在坚持马克思主义世界历史理论、共同体思想等的基础上，形成的对人类前途命运更具历史纵深的思考、对人类进步方向更具时代特征的指引，赋予马克思主义新的时代意义和现实意义。深刻理解以上要素，才能更准确把握“构建人类命运共同体，不是以一种制度代替另一种制度，不是以一种文明代替另一种文明”的丰富内涵。

First, the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind enriches and develops the Marxist theory of world history. Marx and Engels wrote in *The German Ideology*: “The more the original isolation of the separate nationalities is destroyed by the developed mode of production and intercourse and the division

首先，构建人类命运共同体理念丰富和发展了马克思主义世界历史理论。马克思、恩格斯在《德意志意识形态》一文中说：“各民族的原始封闭状态由于日益完善的生产方式、交往以及因交往而自然形成的不同民族之间的分工消灭得越是彻底，历史也就越是成为世界历史。”马克思、恩格斯运用历史唯物主义分析人类社会形态演进规律，用“自由人联合体”描绘未来共产主义社会，提出了共同体思想。

The realization of the association of free individuals signifies the liberation of all humanity and represents the highest stage of human historical development. The association of free individuals depicted by Marx is a concept conceived to transcend the alienation of humanity in the era of industrial economy. Today, the industrial economy still exists, while the digital economy is comprehensively rising. A community with a shared future for mankind profoundly portrays the thinking and concepts engendered by the modes of production and lifestyles in the era of the digital economy. The concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind emphasizes a shared destiny, advocating that "each country's history, culture, and social system are unique, with no inherent superiority or inferiority; the key lies in whether they suit the country's national conditions, can gain the people's support and endorsement, can bring political stability, social progress, and improvement in people's livelihoods, and can contribute to the cause of human progress." [1]1 This quotation is from President Xi Jinping's speech at the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the United Nations, delivered on September 21, 2020.

自由人联合体的实现意味着全人类的解放，也是人类历史发展的最高阶段。马克思描绘的自由人联合体是超越工业经济时代人的异化而设想的概念。今天，工业经济依然存在，数字经济正在全面崛起。人类命运共同体深刻描绘了数字经济时代生产方式、生活方式催生的思维理念。构建人类命运共同体理念强调命运与共，主张“各国历史文化和社会制度各有千秋，没有高低优劣之分，关键在于是否符合本国国情，能否获得人民拥护和支持，能否带来政治稳定、社会进步、民生改善，能否为人类进步事业作出贡献”。

Secondly, the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind embodies the "harmony and cooperation" (hehe) view in Chinese civilization. Chinese culture esteems harmony, and China's "harmony" (he) culture has a long history, containing a cosmology of the unity of heaven and humanity, an international outlook of harmony among all nations, a social view of harmony in diversity, and a moral concept of kindness in the human heart. Over more than 5,000 years of civilizational development, the Chinese nation has consistently pursued and passed on the firm ideals of peace, amity, and harmony. Working together with unity of purpose and achieving harmonious coexistence are the historical genes of the Chinese nation and the essence of Eastern civilization. The concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind expands the principle of "harmony in diversity" to the height of pursuing the common values of all humanity.

其次，构建人类命运共同体理念体现了中华文明中的“和合”观。中华文化崇尚和谐，中国“和”文化源远流长，蕴含着天人合一的宇宙观、协和万邦的国际观、和而不同的社会观、人心和善的道德观。在5000多年的文明发展中，中华民族一直追求和传承着和平、和睦、和谐的坚定理念。和衷共济、和合共生是中华民族的历史基因，也是东方文明的精髓。构建人类命运共同体理念将“和而不同”理念拓展到追求全人类共同价值高度。

The world today is undergoing changes unseen in a century. President Xi Jinping pointed out, "Human society is once again at a historical crossroads where choices must be made: hostility or mutual respect? closure and decoupling or openness and cooperation? zero-sum game or mutual benefit? The choice is in our hands, and the responsibility rests on our shoulders. Humanity is an integral whole, and the Earth is our common home. Facing common challenges, no individual or country can stand aloof; humanity has no other way out but to work together with unity of purpose and achieve harmonious coexistence." The concept of a community with a shared future for mankind advocates that all countries share weal and woe and a common destiny, characterized by openness and inclusiveness, fairness and justice, harmonious coexistence, diversity and mutual learning, and solidarity and cooperation. Building a community with a shared future for mankind advocates respect for national sovereignty, maintaining that the world's destiny should be jointly decided by all countries, international rules should be jointly written by all countries, global affairs should be jointly governed by all countries, and development achievements should be jointly shared by all countries.

当今世界正经历百年未有之大变局。习近平主席指出，“人类社会再次面临何去何从的历史当口，是敌视对立还是相互尊重？是封闭脱钩还是开放合作？是零和博弈还是互利共赢？选择就在我们手中，责任就在我们肩上。人类是一个整体，地球是一个家园。面对共同挑战，任何人任何国家都无法独善其身，人类只有和衷共济、和合共生这一条出路”。人类命运共同体理念主张世界各国同呼吸、共命运，具有开放包容、公平正义、和谐共处、多元互鉴、团结协作的鲜明特征。构建人类命运共同体倡导尊重国家主权，主张世界命运应该由各国共同掌握，国际规则应该由各国共同书写，全球事务应该由各国共同治理，发展成果应该由各国共同分享。

Currently, phenomena such as universal first-mover advantages, rule lock-in, and path dependence exist in global governance, and the aspect of the current international order that is unsuited to the development of the times has become more prominent. The concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind advocates a global governance outlook based on extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits, which is fully reflected in international cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative, thereby attracting enthusiastic response and active participation from more than three-quarters of the world's countries. Guided by the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind, China also advocates building a new type of international relations centered on win-win cooperation, deepening and expanding equal, open, and cooperative global partnerships, firmly believing that "amidst changes in the world, peaceful development has always been the main theme, and win-win cooperation has always been the hard truth."

目前，在全球治理中存在普遍的先发优势、规则锁定、路径依赖等现象，现行国际秩序不适应时代发展的一面更加凸显。而构建人类命运共同体理念倡导共商共建共享的全球治理观，这在“一带一路”国际合作中得到充分体现，因此吸引到世界上四分之三以上国家的热烈响应和积极参与。在构建人类命运共同体理念指引下，中国还倡导构建以合作共赢为核心的新型国际关系，深化拓展平等、开放、合作的全球伙伴关系，深信“世事变迁，和平发展始终是主旋律，合作共赢始终是硬道理”。

Finally, the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind aligns with the trend of the times. The white paper "A Global Community of Shared Future: China's Proposals and Actions" points out: "People generally recognize that peace and stability, material abundance, and cultural-ethical enrichment are the basic pursuits of human social development. Development is the material foundation for security and civilization, security is the fundamental prerequisite for development and civilization, and civilization is the spiritual support for development and security. China has proposed the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative, which point the way forward for human society from the three dimensions of development, security, and civilization. They echo and complement each other, becoming important pillars for promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind and representing China's solutions to major issues concerning human peace and development." The Global Development Initiative is highly compatible with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, particularly echoing the aspirations of developing countries for development. The Global Security Initiative upholds the concept of common security, emphasizes comprehensive measures, adheres to the path of cooperation, seeks sustainable security, and contributes wisdom to addressing international security challenges. The Global Civilization Initiative advocates that all countries respect the diversity of world civilizations, helping to promote exchanges and mutual learning among different civilizations. Seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation is the original aspiration and founding mission of Chinese Communists. Comprehensively advancing the building of a strong country and the great cause of national rejuvenation through Chinese-path modernization is the central task of the Party and the country on the new journey of the New Era. Building a community with a shared future for mankind is one of the essential requirements of Chinese-path modernization. It has not only been written into the Constitution of the Communist Party of China and the Constitution of the People's Republic of China but has also been repeatedly written into relevant resolutions of the United Nations. It was called "the only future for humanity on this planet" by Peter Thomson, President of the 71st Session of the United Nations General Assembly. The concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind focuses on the well-being of all humanity, encompassing both realistic considerations and forward-looking perspectives; it depicts a beautiful vision while also providing practical paths and action plans; it concerns both the future of humanity and the destiny of every individual. China is not only an active advocate but also a firm practitioner of building a community with a shared future for mankind. The Belt and Road Initiative is a vivid practice of building a community with a shared future for mankind, opening up new paths for the common development of all countries.

最后，构建人类命运共同体理念契合了时代发展潮流。《携手构建人类命运共同体：中国的倡议与行动》白皮书指出：“人们普遍认识到，和平稳定、物质丰富、精神富有是人类社会发展的基本追求。发展是安全和文明的物质基础，安全是发展和文明的根本前提，文明是发展和安全的精神支撑。中国提出全球发展倡议、全球安全倡议、全球文明倡议，从发展、安全、文明三个维度指明人类社会前进方向，彼此呼应、相得益彰，成为推动构建人类命运共同体的重要依托，是解答事关人类和平与发展重大问题的中国方案。”全球发展倡议同联合国2030年可持续发展议程高度契合，尤其呼应了广大发展中国家追求发展的心声；全球安全倡议秉持共同安全理念，重视综合施策，坚持合作之道，寻求可持续安全，为应对国际安全挑战贡献智慧；全球文明倡议倡导所有国家尊重世界文明多样性，有助于促进不同文明交流互鉴。为中国人民谋幸福、为中华民族谋复兴是中国共产党人的初心使命，以中国式现代化全面推进强国建设、民族复兴伟业，是新时代新征程党和国家的中心任务。构建人类命运共同体是中国式现代化的本质要求之一，不仅被写进了《中国共产党章程》《中华人民共和国宪法》，也多次写进联合国有关的决议，被第71届联合国大会主席彼得·汤姆森称为“人类在这个星球上的唯一未来”。构建人类命运共同体理念，着眼全人类的福祉，既有现实思考，又有未来前瞻；既描绘了美好愿景，又提供了实践路径和行动方案；既关乎人类的前途，也攸关每一个体的命运。中国不仅是推动构建人类命运共同体的积极倡导者，更是坚定实践者。共建“一带一路”倡议是构建人类命运共同体的生动实践，为各国共同发展开辟了新道路。

In summary, building a community with a shared future for mankind does not mean replacing one system with another or one civilization with another. Rather, it means promoting the democratization of international relations and pushing global governance towards a more just and reasonable direction. It aligns with the common interests of all humanity and reflects the aspirations of people worldwide for peace, justice, and progress. A community with a shared future for mankind is a clear banner leading the trend of the times and the direction of human progress; it is the right path for the world, fully demonstrating the global vision of Chinese Communists to "promote progress for humanity and seek common good for the world."

总之，构建人类命运共同体，不是以一种制度代替另一种制度，不是以一种文明代替另一种文明，而是推进国际关系民主化，推动全球治理朝着更加公正合理的方向发展，符合全人类共同利益，反映了世界人民追求和平、正义、进步的心声。人类命运共同体是引领时代潮流和人类前进方向的鲜明旗帜，是人间正道，充分彰显了中国共产党人“为人类谋进步、为世界谋大同”的天下情怀。

(The author is Vice Dean, Professor, and Doctoral Supervisor of the Academy of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era at Renmin University of China)

（作者系中国人民大学习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想研究院副院长、教授、博士生导师）

Online Editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧