President Xi Jinping said, “The epidemic has brought us a series of profound enlightenments. The destinies of all countries are closely linked, and mankind is a community of shared destiny.” At present, the new coronavirus epidemic is still spreading globally, seriously threatening human life and health. Under the impact of the epidemic, the world is undergoing profound changes and is facing more unstable and uncertain factors. In this fight against the epidemic, which is critical to human health and well-being and the development and prosperity of the world, solidarity and cooperation are the most powerful weapons, and it is the right way to promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. All countries should replace differences with solidarity, eliminate prejudice with rationality, form a strong joint force to fight the epidemic, unite and overcome the difficulties together, and safeguard the common home of mankind. Cooperation is the inevitable choice for mankind to cope with the crisis The new coronavirus epidemic has spread to over 200 countries and regions around the world. The epidemic not only claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and seriously threatened human health, but also increased the downside risks of the world economy, increased the risks of social governance crises, and significantly increased the uncertainties and instability of the world. This epidemic is a serious non-traditional security threat that mankind faces. In dealing with this major infectious disease, China has always adhered to the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind and strengthened international cooperation. Most members of the international community emphasize the common interests and responsibilities of mankind, and believe that jointly safeguarding the life safety and health of all mankind is the most urgent task now. The international community has strengthened cooperation and boosted the sense of shared destiny. Many countries have worked hard to turn crises into opportunities in the fight against the epidemic, strengthened information communication, policy coordination, and action coordination, and strived to promote the reform and improvement of international governance mechanisms and global governance systems. In the 21st century, the security situation facing mankind has become more turbulent and complex. Traditional and non-traditional security threats are intertwined, and the connotation and extension of security issues have further expanded. As far as epidemics are concerned, Ebola virus, Zika virus, H1N1 influenza and COVID-19 have occurred one after another in the world. International terrorist incidents and financial crises have also occurred many times, and non-traditional security threats have become serious challenges that mankind needs to face squarely. At the same time, countries are increasingly having mingled interests and shared safety and security issues. No country can deal with the various challenges faced by mankind alone, and no country can retreat to a self-enclosed island. To safeguard the common homeland of mankind, it is necessary for all countries to strengthen cooperation and work together to meet challenges. In the face of the virus, the common enemy of mankind, the international community has learned from past experiences and lessons in dealing with non-traditional security threats, and further strengthened solidarity and cooperation in the fight against the epidemic. The special summit of the leaders of G20 on the COVID-19 was held on March 26 this year. The special meeting of ASEAN and China, Japan and South Korea to fight against the new coronavirus was held on April 14. The 73rd World Health Assembly video conference was held on May 18. The China-Africa Solidarity Anti-epidemic Special Summit was held on June 17, and the “Belt and Road” international cooperation high-level video conference was held on June 18. All these were examples of the international community uniting to fight the epidemic and overcoming challenges together. President Xi Jinping pointed out in his keynote speech at the China-Africa Solidarity Anti-epidemic Special Summit, “We must put people and life first, coordinate resources, unite and cooperate, and do our utmost to protect people’s lives and health, and minimize the negative impact of the epidemic.” At present, the global epidemic prevention and control situation is still severe and complex, and the international community especially needs to strengthen cooperation and form a strong joint force to overcome the epidemic. The idea of a community with a shared future for mankind is more deeply rooted in the hearts of the people The occurrence of the new coronavirus epidemic and the series of actions taken by the world to fight the epidemic have a major impact on the current world situation and the future security and development of mankind. This influence is not only reflected in international relations, but also in ideology and philosophy. Emerging market countries and developing countries are growing rapidly and increasing their international influence, playing an increasingly important role in international affairs. Under the new situation, the power politics, Cold War mentality, and zero-sum game are no longer feasible. Multilateralism in which countries participate in international affairs on an equal footing and resolve differences through consultation and dialogue has become the consensus of the international community. In today’s world, material wealth continues to accumulate, science and technology advances day by day, and human civilization is developing to a higher level. Peace, development, cooperation, and “win-win” are the unstoppable trends of the times. For people all over the world, life security and physical health are basic needs, and they are eager to live a better life and share the fruits of economic globalization. In the face of the sudden COVID-19 epidemic, the lives and health of people in many countries are threatened. The top priority to fight against the epidemic is to protect and save lives. In a series of international conferences held recently, many countries expressed that they must do a good job in protecting people and protecting lives. China, together with some emerging market countries and developing countries, firmly grasps the issues of development and people’s livelihood, and advocates building a community of shared future in human health, and creating a better, safe and healthy life for people. These initiatives have had widespread impact. At the China-Africa Solidarity Anti-epidemic Special Summit, President Xi Jinping pointed out: “We must unswervingly practice multilateralism. Solidarity and cooperation are the most powerful weapons in fighting the epidemic. China is willing to work with Africa to maintain global governance with the United Nations as the core and support the WHO in making greater contributions to the global fight against the epidemic. We oppose the politicization and labelling of the epidemic, racial discrimination and ideological prejudice, and firmly defend international fairness and justice.” Human beings live in the same global village, and all countries are interdependent and share a common destiny. They are increasingly becoming a community of common destiny. Promoting the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind is the Chinese proposition and Chinese plan for mankind to cope with common challenges. This proposition has been written into UN documents many times and has been welcomed and recognized by the international community. In an interconnected world, no matter where major infectious diseases occur, they will threaten the entire human society. To deal with a major infectious disease such as the COVID-19 epidemic, all countries need to discuss together, strengthen information sharing, carry out joint prevention and control, and pool their efforts to speed up scientific research on drugs, vaccines, and testing. Multilateral organizations such as the United Nations, the World Health Organization, the Group of Twenty, ASEAN, China, Japan, and South Korea play an important role in sharing information on the epidemic, coordinating anti-epidemic actions of various countries, and assisting countries with weak health systems. In the face of the epidemic, what human society needs is to work together rather than acting unilaterally, to share responsibilities instead of acting on its own, and to help each other instead of restricting each other. In his congratulatory letter to the special meeting of the China-Arab States Political Parties Dialogue, President Xi Jinping emphasized, “This epidemic once again shows that mankind is a community of shared destiny.” The response to an epidemic that does not distinguish national borders or races could not depend on one country or just a few. Only by standing at the height of a community with a shared future for mankind to fight the epidemic together and overcome difficulties together can the epidemic be effectively contained. At an important moment in the global fight against the epidemic, the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind has increasingly demonstrated its great value and significance in safeguarding and promoting the survival and development of the entire mankind. In the arduous fight against the epidemic, countries have become more and more aware of mutual interconnection and dependence, and a community with a shared future for mankind. The concept is more deeply rooted in people’s hearts. Continue to promote the reform and improvement of the global governance system The epidemic has exposed some shortcomings in the global governance system. More and more countries are deeply aware of the reality and severity of non-traditional security threats, and further realize that the zero-sum game thinking and practices cannot solve the current challenges. Therefore, the international community needs to work hard to turn crises into opportunities and use the construction of a global public health governance mechanism as an opportunity to accelerate the reform and improvement of the global governance system. The international community needs to work together to deal with non-traditional security threats such as terrorism, network security, major infectious diseases, climate change, and constantly innovate international governance mechanisms to better serve current and future global affairs. In the face of the epidemic, we actively support relevant international organizations to play their role, continue to make good use of various international organization platforms, strengthen information sharing, experience exchange, technical cooperation, and policy coordination, and make contributions to the global fight against the epidemic. The role of international summits and the meetings between heads of state is becoming more and more prominent. With the convenience of transportation and communication, this mechanism continued to develop at the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century. At present, the increase in global affairs and the special circumstances of the epidemic have given birth to video diplomacy between heads of state, which has innovative significance for international relations and global governance. In addition, because the epidemic is closely related to everyone’s life security and physical health, on top of the channels of governments and non-governmental organizations, people from all over the world use instant messaging tools to communicate directly, forming a new form of communication between people in different countries. This shows that the forms of diplomatic activities are undergoing institutional changes, and the actors in international relations will become more diverse in the future. The Communist Party of China and the Chinese government have always put people’s life and safety and health in the first place, and have launched a “people’s war, a general war, and a resistance war” against the epidemic. After arduous efforts and paying a huge price, China’s epidemic prevention and control battle has achieved major strategic results, but we must continue to focus on preventing imported cases and domestic rebound. China has received support from many countries and people in the difficult time of fighting the epidemic. China has also actively given back to the international community and provided assistance to many countries within its capacity. China’s long-standing cooperation concept has been fully demonstrated in the prevention and control of the epidemic, and the concept of justice and benefits it has advocated and practiced has also been praised by the international community. China’s solidarity and cooperation with different countries in the world to jointly fight the epidemic has enriched the connotation of contemporary international relations and revealed the direction of the international community. Human society is often advancing through twists and turns, and there is still a long way to go to build a more just and reasonable international governance mechanism. In this global fight against the epidemic, solidarity and cooperation have become the mainstream concept of the international community. However, some countries have deliberately set up obstacles and barriers to international cooperation, and have stigmatized and politicized actions on the epidemic. In response to this, many countries, international organizations and international figures have called for the international community to work together to prevent discrimination and stigma. From a development perspective, the valuable consensus and cooperative actions by the international community in the fight against the epidemic are important ideological resources and practices for building a community with a shared future for mankind. Risks and challenges will always accompany the advancement of human society. The world will strengthen cooperation in responding to challenges again and again, and the global governance system will continue to respond to the needs of the times. As long as all countries work together to build a community with a shared future for mankind, they will be able to create a better future for human civilization. Author: Yang Jiemian, director of the academic committee, Shanghai Institutes For International Studies