The Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region is located in the northwest of China and, as a latecomer to reform and opening-up, its development has lagged behind the eastern and southern coastal regions.

However, since climate change, deteriorating natural environment and loss of biodiversity have emerged as big challenges for the international community, the strategic importance of Xinjiang has increased. In China's pursuit of green growth, for which it needs to increase the share of renewable energy above that of fossil fuels and nuclear power in the country's total energy mix, Xinjiang plays a highly significant role.

By the end of 2024, Xinjiang's installed capacity of new energy sources will surpass 100 million kilowatts, making it the first provincial-level region in Northwest China to reach this milestone.

This achievement shows Xinjiang is not only a region where diverse ethnic groups live in harmony and pursue shared development, but also becoming a model of green growth at the global level.

Unlike many parts of the world where ethnic conflicts are increasing due to discriminatory and exclusionary policies, Xinjiang has overcome such challenges, setting an example which other countries can refer to in their quest for common prosperity.

At the recent SCO Summit in Tianjin, President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Governance Initiative, which is aimed at reforming the existing international order to make it fairer, equitable and more representational, and engage in win-win cooperation. Since this year marks the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations, the international community should use the occasion to improve the international order, and all countries should abide by international law and norms, uphold multilateralism, and work toward building a new governance framework.

Also, there is no reason for the international community or any country for that matter to wrongly assume that China will use the Global Governance Initiative as a tool to marginalize a particular country or bloc, because it is an initiative that promotes open and transparent global governance.

So the international community should embrace the GGI and parliaments should enact laws and institutions in line with the UN Charter, so as to heed the call of civil society, and ensure that such people-centric initiatives are taken by countries and international organizations.

Besides, since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Korea in 1992, bilateral relations have rapidly expanded across the political, economic, and socio-cultural fields. But due to the recent changes in the international landscape, China-ROK relations face certain challenges. In particular, there is growing concern over false, unverified information circulating online, because it is misleading people, especially the younger generations, and fueling hostility and raising tensions.

However, the two governments are making joint efforts to address these issues, and advance bilateral relations.

Notably, at the end of last year, China introduced a policy allowing 30-day visa-free entry for ROK citizens, leading to a drastic increase in people-to-people exchanges. Although China-ROK cooperation in culture, education and academic fields has expanded, there is a need to further deepen bilateral cooperation in order to better address the emerging challenges and foster closer ties between future generations.

There is also a need for the two governments to ease regulations hindering cooperation and exchanges in the above fields, and to increase financial support for cultural and academic collaboration.

The author is a former floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea. The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

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