This article was shortlisted as a finalist in the 2024 E-International Relations Article Award, sponsored by Edinburgh University Press, Polity, Sage, Bloomsbury and Routledge.

The Community of Shared Future for Mankind has been Xi Jinping’s vision for the future world order. Xi believes that the said world order is already in the making and China leads the process. Therefore, understanding China’s vision for world order is of paramount importance to building peace and development in our region. This article aims to discuss the philosophical underpinning of Xi’s vision and juxtapose it with China’s behaviour.

The Community of Shared Future for Mankind: The Message Behind the Title

President Xi Jinping for the first time mentioned人类命运共同体 (renlei mingyun gongtongti) before the international audience in March 2013 at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations. On several important occasions, Xi Jinping also spoke of 人类命运共同体 (renlei mingyun gongtongti), including in his remarks before the Indonesian parliament in October 2013. Until the first half of 2015, the official English translation for 人类命运共同体 (renlei mingyun gongtongti) was “Community of Shared Destiny for Mankind”. However, since Xi Jinping’s remark at the UN General Assembly in New York on 28 September 2015, the official translation for the phrase becomes “Community of Shared Future for Mankind”. The word “命运 (mingyun)” is translated as “future” instead of “destiny”.

Apparently, by avoiding the word “destiny” Beijing does not want to send an impression of something inevitable for the world. Besides, the word “destiny” could imply China’s giant ambition to lead the world, which may raise concern among other countries. The word “future” sounds more amicable and less revisionist. Nevertheless, there is no adjustment in Chinese official documents for 人类命运共同体 (renlei mingyun gongtongti). Chinese government apologetically uses the word “命运 (mingyun)”. In other words, what is written in Chinese official documents – not the English translation – must be Beijing’s real intention. Therefore analysing the meaning behind the original text cannot be overlooked.

The word 命 (ming) means decree, order or reward from the leaders to their subordinates. It also connotes a life-span or path of life beyond human control. In short, the word 命 (ming) is a property given in the context of power relation and/or moral superiority. Moreover, 运 (yun) means to revolve. It refers to cosmic revolution like seasonal change or the rise and fall of dynasties. In an individual context, 运 (yun) refers to good luck or misfortune. In general, when two words are bundled, 命运 (mingyun) delivers the meaning of mandate, fate and destiny.

Domestic and International Reception

The Community of Shared Future for Mankind (CSFM hereafter) has been one of the key elements of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era (Xi Jinping Thought) – enshrined in the Chinese Communist Party Constitution in October 2017 and the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China in March 2018. Internationally, Xi Jinping has introduced CSFM in two UN forums. They are the 70th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York (September 2015) and Xi Jinping’s remark before the UN Office in Geneve (January 2017).

China claimed that the CSFM has been widely recognized by the international community. The fact shows that this claim is doubtful. On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the United Nations in June 2020, six countries i.e. the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and India rejected the phrase “shared vision of a common future” to be included in the draft of Declaration for the Commemoration of the UN’s 75th Anniversary. The six countries argued that the phrase has been associated with the Chinese Communist Party and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s global vision. Due to the objection, the phrase “shared vision of a common future” was excluded from the declaration eventually.

The Content of CSFM: Reading China’s Proposal and Actions

On 26 September 2023, the State Council of the People’s Republic of China issued a document titled “A Global Community of Shared Future: China’s Proposal and Actions” (China’s Proposal and Actions hereafter). It develops Xi Jinping’s CSFM Proposal as conveyed in the two abovementioned UN forums. In comparison, China’s Proposal and Actions is more systematic as it aims to turn the CSFM into concrete action.

China’s Proposal and Actions begins with a description of the current global situation reaching a crossroads. In the first part, the document underlines the prevalence of instability, uncertainty and deficit trust. The root causes of those phenomena are Cold War mentality, jungle law, hegemonic behaviour and ideological confrontation. In addition to that, it emphasizes the interdependence among nations as the enduring norm throughout history. Hence, a new era needs fresh ideas with future orientation. To fill the gap, China responds to the needs by proposing the ideas that the world lacks.

In the second part, the document offers the ideas to establish global governance based on openness, equality, justice, harmonious coexistence, diversity, cooperation and unity. It strongly criticizes the creation of exclusive blocs, the practice of double-standard and the imposition of hegemony by “certain countries”. Furthermore, China is against the efforts to thwart developing countries from achieving technology. This criticism targets the United States and its allies. China urges the democratization of international relations by giving more voice to developing countries as well as the establishment of fairer and more effective global governance.

The third part demonstrates the continuance of CSFM with Chinese culture and history. It says that Chinese culture stresses harmony as the key concept. Harmony must be realised not only in the domestic but also in the global context. The idea of harmony supposes all nations in the world as one community which pursues justice for the common good (大同 datong, the Great Harmony). This concept of........

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