*This article is based on a lecture delivered by Liu Chen, Professor at Beijing Foreign Studies University and director of the Centre for Cross-Cultural Studies.

What Challenges Does the New International Environment Present?

Regarding how numerous UN member states and industry leaders perceive global challenges, the following three research conclusions have been drawn:

First, conceptual and cognitive divergence. Unprecedentedly profound discrepancies have emerged in the adjectives used by different nations and societies to define development. There are also differing answers among diverse countries and cultural spheres regarding “what constitutes the most suitable future for a nation”.

Second, barriers to digital inclusivity. The digital age has not naturally fostered greater mutual understanding or trust among humanity. On the contrary, it has created more complex information divides and echo chambers that are increasingly difficult to traverse. In this environment, individuals are less likely to actively filter and critically evaluate information, instead passively consuming homogenized content. This diminishes their capacity for independent judgment and their ability to engage deeply with diverse perspectives, gradually eroding their agency.

Third, missed opportunities for the younger generation. Without positive impetus in this era, the future prospects of today’s youth may steadily diminish—retreating from a “world map” to a “national map” and, with national development constrained, they may ultimately be confined to a “hometown map”.

What Changes & Impacts Do These Challenges Bring?

First, lifestyle alterations stemming from a fragmented development perspective. All challenges to sustainable development, including climate action, are fundamentally rooted in human behaviour. The difficulty of unifying human action is what makes these issues so hard to resolve. This is one of the severe consequences of a “fragmented development perspective”: we cannot make a concerted effort to face global challenges.

Next, changes to daily life brought about by barriers to digital inclusion. A 2023 McKinsey report indicates that while organisations globally employed an average of 1.5 types of AI technology in 2020, this figure had increased to over 4.5 by 2023. This suggests that the “coloured curve” representing AI capabilities will soon exceed the “black curve” representing human capabilities, resulting in the displacement of more human labour. The 3 billion workers affected will face immense pressure regarding upskilling, employment security, and educational adaptation.

Finally, what exactly has the “generation that missed its chance” lost? Research conducted during Donald Trump's presidential campaign revealed that many who once harboured ambitious ideals now prioritise personal income, with fewer than 20% genuinely concerned with environmental or global issues. If the international outlook of America’s young elite continues to narrow, with an increasing number focused solely on personal sustenance, multilateralism may become unsustainable.

What Can China Contribute to Global Development?

To most observers, Western societies appear to champion openness, inclusivity, and democracy—a narrative supported by immigration statistics. However, I also note that beneath this façade of diversity, barriers to identity recognition and cultural integration remain undeniable. This observation compels me to make the following assertion: China’s accumulated experience in fostering harmonious coexistence among diverse cultures, within the framework of building a community with a shared future for humanity, is something that should be shared with more nations and regions worldwide.

With this in mind, I have spent nearly a decade focusing solely on one endeavour: writing the English monograph The Chinese Storytelling: Globalisation. As the author, I must clarify that the book does not introduce the concept of a “global order”; its core lies in “globalisation”. My aim is to challenge Western preconceptions about the difference between globalisation and global order. While they argue that disruption to global order renders globalisation unsustainable, I seek to engage in intellectual dialogue through research. In particular, I wish to emphasise that developmental concepts must be grounded in wisdom and thought, and that greater attention should be paid to Eastern wisdom in certain contexts. My focus is on the intersections between dimensions defined by diverse cultures. Capability or labour should not be viewed as fragmented, but as a holistic system. Constructing such systems requires points of cohesion—namely, the collision of ideas. Only through cultural diversity, where each culture’s beauty shines in its own right, can mutual cultural learning be achieved. Through this exchange, more advanced cultures can be forged.

Summary

As China’s reform and opening up advance alongside the intellectual progress of the Chinese nation, we must broaden our perspective from a national to a global one. We must evolve from merely telling China’s story to offering Chinese insights into global development. This will enable the world to recognise that Chinese globalisation represents more than just GDP growth, and it offers a new opportunity for civilisational dialogue.