ISI participates in Global Dialogue on China's Emerging Global Governance Initiative

On 8 December 2025, the Inclusive Society Institute (ISI) participated in, and chaired, an international dialogue on China’s Global Governance Initiative (GGI). The session formed part of the Open Consultation Monday series hosted by the Global South Perspectives Network (GSPN), and attracted participants from across multiple continents.

The consultation explored one of the most pressing questions in contemporary international affairs: Is China filling a global leadership vacuum, or reshaping the rules of global governance in line with its own interests? These questions resonated strongly with the event’s theme: “Dissecting China’s Global Governance Initiative.”

ISI Chief Executive Officer Daryl Swanepoel chaired the session and delivered the opening analytical remarks, setting out the structural context in which the GGI has emerged. His presentation drew on the Institute’s ongoing work on multilateral reform and Global South agency, and offered a balanced, thought-provoking reading of China’s ambitions.

Key themes from the ISI presentation included a system frozen in 1945 and a vacuum created by stalled reform; China’s motivations: both corrective and strategic; global reactions reflect strategic anxieties more than principles; the Global South’s distinctive and pragmatic reading; and the future of multilateralism: adaptation or fragmentation.

The consultation saw extensive engagement from diplomats, academics and former UN officials. Participants interrogated questions of legitimacy, multipolarity, international law and the risks of parallel global systems. The discussion highlighted both the opportunities and uncertainties created by China’s expanding role in multilateral affairs.

This event forms part of the ISI’s broader commitment to shaping debates on inclusive multilateral reform, strengthening Global South agency and contributing to practical pathways for building a fairer international order.