Distinguished Secretary O Lam and Deputy Director Zhang Yingjie,

Distinguished President Chen Bo, Chancellor Liu Chak Wan and President Zhu Jiankang,

Distinguished experts and scholars from Portuguese-speaking and Spanish-speaking countries, Chinese mainland and the Macao SAR,

Teachers, students and friends:

Good morning! In the golden autumn of September, it gives me great pleasure to gather with experts and scholars from Portuguese-speaking and Spanish-speaking countries, as well as Chinese mainland and the Macao SAR, to discuss the blueprint for global governance. First of all, on behalf of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the Macao SAR, I would like to extend a warm welcome to the guests attending “Forum of  Think Tanks Between China and Portuguese-speaking and Spanish-Speaking Countries 2026”. I also want to express my sincere gratitude to the Macao SAR Government, Macao Foundation, and Macau University of Science and Technology for their strong support for this forum.

Thanks to concerted efforts of all parties, the Forum of Think Tanks between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries has been successfully held for three sessions. Through this platform, scholars have offered advice on implementing the Global Development Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative, contributing their wisdom to advancing modernization and promoting exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations. This year, the forum expands its scope to include Spanish‑speaking countries for the first time. It also explores for the first time the significance and contribution of “One Country, Two Systems” to the reform of global governance. This fully manifests the broad prospects of Macao’s role as a platform linking China and Portuguese-speaking and Spanish-Speaking countries and demonstrates Macao’s contribution to global governance reform. I look forward to in-depth discussions that will generate vibrant intellectual insights, contribute to improving and reforming the global governance system, and advance the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity.

Distinguished guests,

Global governance is not a new topic of our time. Looking back at history, every shift in the international system has been accompanied by humanity’s exploration and practice of global governance solutions. The establishment of the Westphalian system in 1648 set a precedent for resolving disputes through international conferences. The Vienna system after the Napoleonic Wars shaped a regional power landscape featuring great‑power concert. Following World War I, the Versailles-Washington system ushered in an era of hegemonic contention marked by spheres of influence. The Yalta system and the United Nations after World War II provide a multilateral cooperation platform for countries to address international affairs through consultation. Since the beginning of the new century, the collective rise of emerging markets and developing countries has driven in‑depth transformation of the global governance system.

Today’s world is undergoing profound changes amid turbulence. Unilateralism and hegemony persist, while the development deficit and governance gap keep growing. A global governance system that reflects trends of the times, pursues fairness and justice has become a universal aspiration of the international community.

Faced with the questions of our era, China has offered its answers. In September 2025, President Xi Jinping officially proposed the Global Governance Initiative, putting forward China’s solution for reforming and improving the global governance system. Over the past year, the initiative has quickly won the support and positive responses of nearly 160 countries and international organizations. More than 60 countries have joined the Group of Friends of Global Governance. Its core concepts have been incorporated into the agenda and practice of multilateral institutions such as the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, and BRICS.

There are four key factors that underpin the growing international support for the Global Governance Initiative:

First, it responds to the trend of the times. The current international power structure is undergoing historic changes, with the growing strength of the Global South and multiple development centers emerging in various regions. Redressing historical injustice and breaking hegemonic monopolies are the common calls of the vast majority of countries. The Global Governance Initiative conforms to the trend of multipolarity and democratization of international relations, striving to safeguard the Global South’s right to development and its decision-making power. It represents the will of the people, the core of the evolution of the international order, and what the world needs.

Second, it upholds a people‑centered approach. Putting people at the center is not only the core concept of China’s domestic governance, but also a value orientation guiding China’s engagement in global governance. Taking the building of a community with a shared future for humanity as its goal, the Global Governance Initiative regards people of all countries as fundamental participants and beneficiaries of global governance. Through promoting common development, safeguarding common security and bridging ideological divisions, it delivers greater sense of gain, security and happiness for people across the world.

Third, it adheres to the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits. We live in an interconnected global village. The global governance dictated by one, a few or a bloc of countries has long passed. In international politics, countries are increasingly intertwined in rights, interests and responsibilities. The Global Governance Initiative pools wisdom through extensive consultation, rallies strength through joint contribution, and delivers benefits for all through shared gains. It strongly reinforces the international community’s resolve to uphold multilateralism, and sends a strong message that all countries should stand together to address common challenges.

Fourth, it pursues fairness and justice. Fairness and justice represent the aspiration of the international community and the common ideal of people worldwide. The Global Governance Initiative upholds sovereign equality, mutual respect and the rule of law. It advocates equal treatment of all countries and opposes the logic that “might makes right”. It calls for narrowing development gaps and rejects a world where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. It encourages the Global South to strengthen solidarity and self‑improvement, and strive toward a more just and equitable international political and economic order.

Distinguished guests,

Tides of change unfolding across the world are driving epoch‑making shifts in the connotation and scope of global governance. New challenges such as artificial intelligence, data governance and outer‑space security call for joint responses. China, along with Portuguese-speaking and Spanish-speaking countries, are key forces promoting multipolarity and democratization of international relations. We share similar goals and visions for reforming the global governance system. We should jointly uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and basic norms governing international relations, and safeguard the UN‑centered international system. We should work together to advance the grand cause of common development and accelerate implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We should strengthen solidarity and cooperation to amplify the voice of the Global South in global governance, and make more contribution to building a more just and equitable global governance system.

Distinguished guests,

Macao is renowned for the harmonious coexistence of Chinese and Western cultures. The question of Macao was peacefully resolved through diplomatic negotiations in accordance with the “One Country, Two Systems”, serving as a successful example of settling historical issues through negotiation and consultation. Since Macao’s return to the motherland, the practice of “One Country, Two Systems” in Macao has yielded remarkable achievements, enabling peaceful coexistence of two different social systems within a unified country. The Guangdong‑Hong Kong‑Macao Greater Bay Area pursues coordinated development featuring “one country, two systems and three currencies”. The construction of the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, governed under a collaborative framework between Guangdong and Macao, is forging ahead at full speed. Macao offers a new paradigm for cross-regional and cross-institutional governance, and provides a vivid example for advocating diversity of world civilizations.

Distinguished guests,

In a few days, we will celebrate the traditional Chinese MidAutumn Festival. Under the same full moon, we breathe the same air and share a common destiny. The Commissioner’s Office will continue to support Macao in better leveraging its strengths as a hub connecting the mainland with the outside world. We will support Macao to expand functions and scope of the platform linking China with Portuguese-speaking and Spanish-speaking countries, further improve the international influence of the values embodied in “One Country, Two Systems”. We will also support Macao in deepening multi‑faceted cooperation with Portuguese-speaking and Spanish-speaking countries, making more contribution to the common development of the Global South and the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.

I wish this forum a complete success. Thank you!