Snapshots of interactions between President Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump over the years.
Looking forward to the next handshake across the Pacific!
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun’s Regular Press Conference on September 21, 2026
China News Agency: On the fifth anniversary of the Global Development Initiative (#GDI) put forward by President Xi Jinping, could you update us on the implementation of the initiative over the past five years? Is China considering hosting events on the initiative on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly?
Guo Jiakun: Five years ago today, President Xi Jinping put forward the GDI at the general debate of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly. Focusing on development, a timeless theme for humanity, the initiative pools together international efforts to put development high on the global macro policy agenda, aims to expedite the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and has injected strong impetus into revitalizing global development. The initiative has received extensive recognition from the international community.
Over the past five years, under the guidance of President Xi Jinping and with the joint effort of various parties, fruitful outcomes have been made in implementing the GDI. The GDI has turned from a Chinese proposal into a global consensus, with people-centered development philosophy enjoying increasing popularity. The GDI has played a greater role in driving global development by real actions. Under the framework of the initiative, more than US$23 billion have been mobilized, and more than 2,000 cooperation projects have been carried out. In particular, practical cooperation under the framework of the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund has yielded fruitful outcomes in 70 plus countries, benefiting more than 40 million people. The GDI has developed better cooperation architecture across various sectors, laying the groundwork for advancing international development cooperation as well as realizing UN Sustainable Development Goals.
The general debate of the 81st session of the General Assembly starts tomorrow. On the sidelines of the general debate, China will host a High-Level Dialogue on the Fifth Anniversary of the Global Development Initiative at the UN headquarters in New York on September 25. We look forward to working with the broader UN membership to take stock of the achievements and useful experiences over the past five years, share development opportunities, explore cooperation on development, facilitate the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and build a community with a shared future for humanity.
The opening ceremony of the 2026 "Future·Military Technology" International Cadets Science Week was held at the National University of Defense Technology in Changsha on September 20.
Cadets from military academies of 15 countries, including Pakistan, Laos, Egypt, Oman, Kazakhstan and Serbia, together with Chinese cadets, took part in the event.
They participated in activities including academic seminars, scientific research practices, and Chinese cultural experiences, exploring cutting-edge themes in military technology while enhancing their scientific and technological literacy and cross-cultural communication skills.
Held for the third time, the event aims to provide a platform for exchanges and mutual learning in military education and science and technology between Chinese and foreign military academies, and promote friendship and cooperation among cadets.