On January 18, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and World Health Organization (WHO) respectively. On the same day, President Xi delivered a keynote address entitled, “Work Together to Establish a Community of Shared Destiny for Mankind” at the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG), which won prolonged applause.

His speech delivered at the Palace of Nations stands as a historic moment for the world and highlights for Xi’s first overseas trip in 2017.

Xi profoundly expounded his vision on the concept of building a community of a shared destiny for mankind from perspectives of history and philosophy. His speech is full of quotations and sparkling discourses citing from a number of sources. The leader of the world’s second largest economy championed a world of lasting peace, common security for all and common prosperity, as well as an open, inclusive, clean, and beautiful world. He said this could be achieved through dialogue & consultation, co-building & sharing, cooperation & win-win, mutual exchange & mutual understanding, as well as the green and low-carbon development pattern.

Xi’s speech offered Beijing’s solutions to the question of “how the world would develop,” which is deemed a strong voice in an obstreperous moment of history. Beijing’s proposal echoes the pulse of the world, embodying the awareness to work together for benefits of the world, setting a lighthouse for promoting the cause of world peace and development.

Xi's state visit to Switzerland has achieved fruitful results, serving a wonderful start for China's diplomacy this year.

The author Zhang Maorong is a researcher with China Institute of Contemporary International Relations