As unilateralism and protectionism strain the international order, the solution lies not in turning away from multilateralism but in strengthening genuine multilateral cooperation and improving the United Nations-centered global governance system, said Zhang Jun, secretary-general of the Boao Forum for Asia.
Zhang, China's former permanent representative to the UN, said that "the gravest challenge confronting the world today is the resurgence of unilateralism and protectionism", and the immediate task is to prevent these from spreading further.
Zhang Jun
With the international order entering a period of transition and heightened risks, countries should strengthen crisis prevention and management, and build effective guardrails, he said in a recent interview with China Daily.
He urged major powers to "act responsibly" to enhance strategic communication, while calling on all countries to "consider developing a negative list, identifying what actions are unacceptable and where the red lines are" to prevent local conflicts from spilling over into wider instability and help avoid greater instability around the world.
