The Chinese Global Governance Initiative: An Initiative to Reform the Existing International System?

This study examines China’s Global Governance Initiative (GGI) in light of the structural transformations taking place in the international system, particularly changes in the distribution of power and the rise of China as a major power, alongside the growing debate over the ability of existing global governance institutions and rules to respond to increasing international challenges and transformations. Additionally, the study addresses the central question of whether the initiative represents a path toward reforming the existing international system or whether it seeks to reshape or replace it with a new governance order. The study adopts “Power Transition Theory” as a framework for explaining the impact of changes in the distribution of capabilities on the attitudes of rising powers toward international institutions and rules, while also drawing on the conceptual framework of global governance and institutional reform. It employs a descriptive-analytical approach through an analysis of relevant Chinese official documents, complemented by academic literature on China, the international system, and global governance. Further, the study examines the evolution of China’s role in the international system, culminating in the launch of the Global Governance Initiative in 2025. It analyzes its principles, objectives, and areas of action, as well as China’s 2026 proposals for developing a more just and equitable global governance system. The study concludes that, in its official formulation, the initiative primarily seeks to reform existing international governance institutions and rules, while simultaneously pursuing the reshaping of certain rules and balances of influence, particularly with regard to the representation of developing countries and rule-making in emerging domains. Accordingly, the initiative does not seek to comprehensively replace the existing international system, but rather to develop it and reshape certain of its components from within.