BEIJING, July 31 (Xinhua) — Five years after its launch, China’s Global Development Initiative (GDI) has grown from a national proposal into a widely embraced global public good, with more than 130 countries and international organizations now participating.

The initiative has delivered 1,800 livelihood-focused projects, trained 200,000 people across various professions, and mobilized over $23 billion in funding. Practical outcomes include the sharing of Juncao technology—which cultivates edible fungi from grass to combat poverty—the Sustainable Development Science Satellite 1 for synchronized data access, and the MAZU disaster-monitoring and early-warning platform to strengthen resilience in Global South nations.

Advocating people-centered, inclusive, innovation-driven, and eco-friendly development, the GDI emphasizes results-oriented cooperation grounded in mutual respect and win-win outcomes. Chinese officials contrast this approach with protectionism and geopolitical rivalry pursued by some major powers.

China has established more than 30 cooperation mechanisms to help developing countries build capacity. A recent Pew Research Center survey found that in most of the 36 countries polled, more respondents held a favorable view of China than of the United States; many in middle-income nations also regard China as a more reliable partner that contributes to global peace and stability.

Beijing continues to share opportunities through open-source large language models, affordable new-energy products, manufacturing equipment exports, outbound investment, and Belt and Road infrastructure projects that support industrialization and connectivity.

With the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development lagging—only 36 percent of assessable targets on track or showing moderate progress—the GDI’s focus on shared, sustainable growth remains especially relevant. As a major Global South country, China has pledged to keep advancing the initiative in partnership with others to accelerate common development.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​