Post-2015 Global Development Agenda: Content, Influence and China’s Participation

Huang Meibo & Zhu Dandan



Post-2015 Global Development Agenda: Content, Influence and China’s Participation

Huang Meibo & Zhu Dandan

Huang Meibo is professor in economics at the Department of International Economics and Business, School of Economics, Xiamen University. Zhu Dandan is a PhD researcher at the Department of Global Governance, Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Their research is supported by the China National Social Science Fund Project: Aid Effectiveness, Development Effectiveness and The Quality of Chinese Foreign Aid (13BJL054) , and DFID, UK through CIDRN Research Grants.

W ith the approach of the 2015 deadline for the United Nations’Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the formulation and implementation of new development goals was put on the agenda. After two years of discussions, the global development agenda for 2016 to 2030 was formulated and passed by the UN General Assembly at the end of September 2015. The new international development agenda consists of two parts, namely global development goals and international responsibilities, which are fundamentally about international development cooperation. The post-2015 development agenda includes sustainable development goals (SDGs) and a new global partnership for development. The SDGs are both the inheritance and the transcending of the previous global development goals (especially the MDGs), while the new global partnership for development offers strong support for their implementation, and is a result of the evolution of international development cooperation since 1960.

Post-2015 Development Agenda: The Goals and Content of Sustainable Development

In 2000, UN agencies began to consider the formulation of a post-2015 development agenda. In 2011, the United Nations Secretariatissued its annual report “Accelerating Progress Towards the Millennium Development Goals: options for sustained and inclusive growth and issues for advancing the United Nations development agenda beyond 2015,”which summed up the progress made toward realizing the MDGs and provided recommendations for the consultation process of the development agenda after 2015. In July 2012, the United Nations Secretariat appointed a High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons, which, after nearly a year of research and discussion, submitted a report1UN, The Report of the High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda-A New Global Participation: Eradicate Poverty and Transform Economics through Sustainable Development, 2013.to the Secretariat in May 2013. The report elaborated on the panel members’ views on the post-2015 agenda and the main principles for reshaping the global partnership for development. In September, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Financing for Development (also known as Rio+20 and the Earth Summit 2012) proposed formulating a set of sustainable development goals in a unified framework that incorporated economic and social development with environmental protection. These SDGs would be based on the MDGs and be consistent with the post-2015 UN development agenda.2United Nations General Assembly (Sixty-sixth session Agenda item 19), The Future We Want, 2012.9.11, pp.46-48, http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/66/288&Lang=E.

An Open Working Group (OWG) was established to formulate the sustainable development goals. On September 17, 2013, the OWG submitted an outcome document to the 68th session of the UN General Assembly for discussions and consultations among the UN member states. The outcome document contained 17 goals and more than 160 targets. On May 2, 2014, the OWG published a list of countries that made proposals for the goals.3OWG, Working Document for 5-9 May Session of Open Working Group, UN Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform, May 2, 2014, http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/ documents/3686WorkingDoc_0205_additionalsupporters.pdf.After several rounds of intergovernmental negotiations, the goals for sustainable development were finalized, examined and passed by the 70th Session of the UN General Assembly on September 25. They formally came into effect on January 1, 2016. The SDGs are intended to guide national andglobal development to be sustainable over the next 15 years.

The post-2015 sustainable development goals include 17 goals and 169 related targets, and cover the economy, society, environment, security and partnership. They can be summarized as the “5Ps”– people, planet, prosperity, peace and partnership. As can be seen, covering all aspects of human and social development, the “5Ps”are intended to build a harmonious human society that is prosperous and stable and environmentally healthy. It should be noted that concrete ways to achieve them are listed under each goal. Moreover, the SDGs also stress the need to strengthen monitoring and evaluation at various levels (i.e. the national, regional and global).

The BRICS countries call for the adoption of the right to development as the core of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.

Roughly classified, the economic goals are mainly Goals 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 9 and 11, the core content of which is to eradicate poverty and improve people’s living conditions through economic growth. The social goals include Goal 4, 5, 10 and 16, whose core purpose is to realize an equitable and justsociety. The environmental goals are mainly Goals 12 to 15, the core of which is to achieve environmental sustainability.

Comparison of content between SDGs and MDGs

Note: Resources from the United Nations.

SDGs inherit but transcend the MDGs. The SDGs are based on the MDGs, and the top priority of SDGs is trying to achieve the unaccomplished goals of the MDGs, especially those that are still a long way from being realized. Transcending means that the goals and targets of the SDGs are far more extensive and have higher standards than the MDGs.

In fact, the SDGs not only incorporate the lessons learned from trying to attain the MDGs, they also inherit the spirit of the prior global development agenda and its objectives. The United Nations formulated the environmentally sustainable development goals of Agenda 21 in 1992. Along with the MDGs, this was also an important source of ideas for the formulation of the SDGs.

The 1992 Agenda 21 goals, with environmental sustainability as the core, and the Millennium Development Goals, which focused on poverty reduction, pointed out the importance the economic and social development being in harmony with environmental protection. However, they both failed to fully take into account the three pillars of sustainable development,namely the economy, environment and society. The SDGs actually encompass the two aims of poverty eradication and sustainable development. To a large extent, they are the integration of 1992 environmental sustainability goals and the MDGs. At the same time, they take into account the new global challenges. They encompass environmental protection and poverty reduction, and promote inclusive and sustainable development, embodying the transition from the qualitative to the quantitative, which reflects “environmental protection is a prerequisite; economic development is the basis; and social progress is the guarantee.”At the same time, the importance of international cooperation is emphasized in the three sets of global development goals, which indicates the concept of “international cooperation is the support.”

Post-2015 Development Agenda: Impacts and Implications

Because of the big differences in development levels, development demands, national conditions and so on among different countries, the impacts of the post-2015 development agenda on the domestic and foreign policies of countries will vary.

Common goals but different impacts

For developed countries, the targets of poverty reduction and economic development in the SDGs have little binding effect. The challenges that developed countries face in sustainable development are mainly in the fields of environmental and social development. Developed countries are facing a shortage of resources, wasteful and extravagant patterns of consumption, an investment surge to control environmental pollution, and other issues. In order to achieve environmentally sustainable development, developed countries need to “green”their existing production technology and facilities, adopt sustainable consumption patterns, and achieve economic and social development while maintaining the sustainable use of resources and protecting the environment. Social unrest seems to have become the normin many developed countries. The unrest has been further exacerbated by the global financial and economic crisis. Serious inequality and racial discrimination are two of the main causes of the social unrest in developed countries, and the aging of population in these countries is also severe. As a result of this, immigration to address labor shortages and a heavier social burden are also social problems developed countries have to face.

The development issues of environmental and social sustainability will be highlighted in the future development goals of developed countries. It should be noted that the formulation and implementation of the post-2015 agenda is relatively consistent with the development process in developed countries. Therefore, the influence of the post-2015 agenda on the development goals of developed countries will be quite limited.

Emerging economies are most affected by the post-2015 agenda and exposed to the greatest pressures.

Emerging economies are most affected by the post-2015 agenda and exposed to the greatest pressures. Emerging economies have achieved outstanding success in economic growth and accomplished much in poverty reduction in the past few years, which has increased their influence on the global stage. Therefore, the international community expects them to bear more responsibilities. However, developed countries have already realized industrialization and have a solid economic foundation. The economies of emerging countries, on the other hand, are still in transition and face a variety of development challenges, especially the conflicts arising between industrialization and environmental protection. Before 2015, emerging economies achieved economic growth partly at the expense of environmental sustainability, but environmental sustainability and economic growth must be put in the same position in their post-2015 development plans. This means that in order to achieve the SDGs, emerging economies need to pursue industrialization and “greener”development simultaneously.

Most developing countries could not achieve the MDGs on schedule. This indicates that achieving the MDGs is still the main task for mostdeveloping countries after 2015. For developing countries, fulfilling the post-2015 agenda is too ambitious, most developing countries still need to focus on the poverty reduction goals of the MDGs, it will be very difficult for them to implement most of the targets in the SDGs, particularly the environmental objectives. So the development agenda after 2015 will be non-binding. In other words, the post-2015 agenda will not have great influence on the setting of domestic development goals in developing countries. Even influenced by the agenda, developing countries will mainly choose the lowest standards of the SDGs, which to a large extent will be a simple continuation of the MDGs.

The implications for international development cooperation

First of all, the Post-2015 agenda will change the traditional allocation of powers and responsibilities in international development cooperation. The post-2015 SDGs extend the coverage to “all humankind,”that includes not only the population below the poverty line in developing countries, but also the people lacking equal opportunities in developed countries. This means that in post-2015 international cooperation, developed countries will no longer be able to be mere aid donors, they will have to play the role of both providers and beneficiaries. Many developing countries have complained that this change will significantly reduce the responsibilities of developed countries in international cooperation.4Han Liqun, “Guoji Fazhan Hezuo de San Da Zhuanbian”[Three Major Changes in International Development Cooperation], July 20, 2015, http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2015-07/20/c_128036907.htm.Another consequence is that the emerging economies may be forced to assume more international responsibilities. Both developed countries and developing economies may shirk their responsibilities and compete for interests, which will result in many of the poorest developing countries not getting timely and effective assistance. This will have a negative impact on the process of global sustainable development.

Second, the role of the private sector in international development cooperation will continue to increase. The important role the private sector plays in development has been globally recognized, and the SDGs haveproposed to encourage and promote effective public-private partnerships. It is foreseeable that the private sector will increasingly play a bigger role in the sustainable development process in the future.

Third, the new development agenda will change the previous simple direct assistance and put more emphasis on economic growth and capacitybuilding. For a long time, developed countries have adopted a “blood transfusion”approach to assisting developing countries, providing them with a lot of aid. However, the effects of this aid have not been ideal. In contrast, the donor countries adopt a hematopoietic approach, emphasizing the importance of economic infrastructure development, economic growth and capacity-building, which not only leads to significant economic growth, but also helps recipient countries to achieve the goal of poverty reduction. Future international development cooperation will seek to enable developing countries to get more investment and economic growth opportunities, improve production conditions, create more jobs, and strengthen economic infrastructure. Through these efforts, public services can be improved, better social conditions can be promoted and the environment can be protected.

The new development agenda will change the previous simple direct assistance and put more emphasis on economic growth and capacity-building.

Fourth, security issues may become a more frequent excuse for developed countries to interfere in the sovereignty of other countries. In the goal system proposed by the UN OWG, the target of reducing crime and violence is supported by four developed countries (Greece, Australia, Netherlands, and the United Kingdom), two emerging economies (China and Indonesia) and one developing economy (Kazakhstan). The target of reducing organized crime is supported by eight developed countries, two emerging economies and nine other developing countries. The SDGs put peace and security considerations into a unified agenda. However, peace and security are likely to be used by Western powers as a pretext for war or interference in the internal affairs of other countries, something developingcountries need to be alert to.

China’s Active Participation and Its Challenges in Implementing the Post-2015 Agenda

Being the first developing country to finish its poverty reduction target ahead of schedule, China has achieved most of the MDGs targets. As a recipient country, China has accumulated a wealth of development experience from its success in economic development and poverty reduction, and therefore it is able to provide other developing countries with development knowledge and lessons in achieving the MDGs. As a donor country, China’s development assistance helps recipient countries build infrastructure, train technical personnel and improve their development capacity. The Chinese model of international development assistance can provide an important reference for the improvement of aid and development effectiveness in other developing countries.

At the same time, from 2000 to 2015, China’s position and role in the international political and economic arena and in the international development assistance system have undergone profound changes. Economically, China is currently the world’s largest developing country, the second-largest economy, the largest trading nation and has the largest foreign exchange reserves. Politically, China is one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, an important G20 member, and a member of BRICS. In the field of international development assistance, China’s foreign aid has increased rapidly in recent years, and the South-South cooperation it advocates has begun to be recognized by the international community. Therefore, China has the ability and responsibility to participate effectively in the formulation and subsequent implementation of the post-2015 development agenda.

In view of this, China is actively involved in the formulation and implementation of the post-2015 development agenda, which is reshaping China’s role and position in international development cooperation andbeginning a new era for China’s participation in global development.

Under the support of the United Nations Development Programme, in November 2012, December 2012 and March 2013, the United Nations Association of China held three informal national-level consultations in Beijing, Kunming and Beijing respectively, in order to listen to the views of all sectors about the post-2015 agenda, more than 75 percent of the participants being from social groups. On September 22, 2013, the Chinese Foreign Ministry issued China’s Position Paper on the Development Agenda Beyond 2015. On May 21, 2015, China released another position paper, which highlighted the construction of a global partnership for development, development financing, global economic governance, the subsequent implementation and regulatory issues, etc. This position paper clearly elaborates on China’s expectations and recommendations for the post-2015 agenda, which indicates that China is fully aware of its strength and enhanced international status, and it is trying to take greater initiative in international development affairs.

At the UN General Assembly and its series of summits at the end of September 2015, China made a series of commitments to the world, which demonstrated China’s willingness and courage to take more responsibility within it capabilities, and made the international community listen to China’s views on global development and the construction of the international order.

At present, the Chinese economy has entered a new normal of slower growth, while its development remains unbalanced, uncoordinated and unsustainable. China faces challenges such as weak agricultural infrastructure, a big urban-rural gap, unbalanced income distribution, increasing resource and environmental constraints, weak innovation capacity, while seeking to transform its economic development mode and achieve economic restructuring. Achieving the MDGs was only a basic task and a starting point for China. The enhancement of China’s international status has led to higher expectations from the international community, which will make it more difficult for China to play a satisfactory role in global sustainable development.

Difficult coordination between environmental protection and economic growth

Over the past 15 years, China has achieved or nearly achieved 13 MDG targets. And seven targets under the goal of a global partnership for development are likely to be reached. However, environmental protection, especially the target of biodiversity, remains unfulfilled. China’s environmental problems are still very serious, there is an apparent lack of waste treatment facilities and capabilities; a continued reduction of biodiversity, a serious lack of funds for restoration and protection, and people’s environmental awareness also urgently needs to be raised.

More importantly, China is facing the dual pressures of economic growth and environmental protection. First, on the one hand, the rapid expansion of industrialization and urbanization is the trend of economic development, but on the other hand, this is causing great environmental pressures. Second, in some less developed areas, local people depend on natural resources, especially biological resources for survival, but due to the lack of environmental awareness and experience, human activities threaten biological diversity. Third, China has entered a critical period of structural adjustment and the transformation of its economic development mode. The untapped momentum of economic growth and the slower economic growth will inevitably affect the input and support for environmentally sustainable development, which will exacerbate the underfunded plight of environmental protection.

High inequality levels threaten sustainable development

Inequality includes income inequality, educational inequality, unequal employment opportunities, etc., and involves the inequality between regions, between urban and rural areas, between men and women, and so on. The Gini coefficient is an important indicator of income inequality. The international warning line of income inequality is a Gini coefficient 0.4. In 2008, China’s Gini coefficient reached 0.491, which was its highestlevel in history and far higher than the international warning line. Despite improvements after that, China’s Gini coefficient was still 0.473 in 2013, which shows that income inequality in China is still very serious. The distribution of educational resources is very uneven between regions, between urban and rural areas and even between schools. Inequality of employment opportunities is particularly evident between urban and rural areas and between genders. Inequality easily leads to resentment among vulnerable groups and thus social unrest, which threatens the construction of a harmonious society and healthy economic development.

The role of the non-government sector has been neglected

Undeniably, government is the leading force in guiding sustainable development. However, the strength of government is limited and it has its limitations. The participation of the private sector not only makes up for the lack of government funds, it also helps to monitor the progress being made toward sustainable development. The private sector tends to have more advanced experience and technology in terms of project cooperation and has the advantage of its non-governmental status. In recent decades, the number of China’s civil society groups and private sector actors has gradually increased and they are also gradually participating more in national development planning. Compared with government entities though, they receive unequal treatment with regard market entry and operation. And the government’s mechanism for regulating and supervising these non-government sectors is very scarce, which leads to their more limited participation in social development. This is very different from the importance attached to and vigorous support extended to the nongovernmental sectors in developed countries.

Public-private partnerships (PPP) can make up for the deficiencies of government departments when carrying out development plans independently. Developed countries have accumulated some experience in the use of PPPs, while China is still in the exploration process. Currently, PPPs are often used for long-term large-scale infrastructure projects, whichare suitable for China’s foreign assistance programs. However, PPPs involve a large number of sectors and actors, with long cycles, slow earnings and big risks. While the mechanism for risk sharing and income distribution is still immature. It is still unknown how to achieve win-win public-private cooperation and make the best use of PPPs.

Lack of innovation capacity

The quantitative indicators for measuring a country’s level of technical innovation and capacity include its number of patent applications, R&D investment, number of research personnel, and number of published scientific papers, and so on.

First, the number of Chinese patent applications. Over the past decade, the total number of patent applications in China has increased rapidly, and it now ranks first in the world. However, on the per capita level, China’s number of patent applications is far behind developed countries. In 2012, the number of patent applications per million of the population in China was 415.62, only about 10 percent of Japan’s and South Korea’s, 20 percent of Germany’s, less than 30 percent of the United States. The main way for enterprises, research institutions and individuals to apply for international patents is through the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) managed by World Intellectual Property Organization. In 2012, the number of PCT international patent applications per million people in China was 13.79, while the number for South Korea was 235.72, 341.19 in Japan, 233.13 in Germany, 165.19 in the United States, 118.76 in France and 77.30 in the UK.5Data from the World Intellectual Property Organization database.

Second, China’s research expenditure. In 2011, China’s research spending accounted for 1.84 percent of its GDP, which was far below the major developed countries (South Korea 3.74 percent, Japan 3.26 percent, Germany 2.84 percent, the United States 2.77 percent, and France 2.25 percent).6Data from the World Bank’s World Development Indicators (WDI) database and those of Korea and Japan are 2010 data.

Third, the number of R&D personnel in China. In 2011, the number of people engaged in research and development per million was 2,017 in China, while the number was 7,415 in South Korea, 6,832 in Japan, 6,933 in Germany and 6,328 in France. The number in China was less than onethird that in the major developed countries.7Data from UNESCO.

Inadequate international cooperation for development

The cooperation between China and other countries, and between China and multilateral development organizations is neither frequent nor deep. In terms of international development assistance, the emerging donors, including China, and the traditional donors follow different principles and modalities of aid, which makes it difficult for them to cooperate. Aid cooperation between China and other emerging countries is also infrequent. The proportion of trilateral cooperation in China’s total aid volume is also small.

The principal of “common but differentiated responsibilities”

In recent years, with the growing international influence of China and other emerging economies, developed countries and even some developing countries have raised the issue of emerging economies shouldering more international responsibilities, forcing them to assume more international responsibility. However, facing their own development dilemma, emerging economies insist on the principal of “common but differentiated responsibilities”and emphasize that developed countries should bear the primary responsibility for global sustainable development. Contradictions between the two forces coupled with the inherent contradictions between the North and South, the internal contradictions within the group of developed countries and the contradictions within the group of developing countries intertwine, making the implementation of the new global development agenda full of uncertainty.

Approaches for Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals

China should first achieve domestic development through making and improving its development strategies in line with its national conditions. Based on this, China should actively carry out international cooperation for development, working together with the international community to promote global sustainable development goals.

Formulating appropriate sustainable development indicators

The main content of the sustainable development agenda after 2015 is basically consistent with China’s concepts of scientific development, building an ecological civilization, and the modernization of the national governance system. Sustainable development is the only way for China to achieve the goal of building a moderately prosperous society. A sustainable development strategy has become an important part of China’s economic and social development plan, and the Chinese government has developed a number of quantitative indicators for environmental and ecological protection. Participation in the formulation and implementation of a sustainable development agenda is in line with China’s fundamental and long-term interests. Based on its own national conditions and combined with the basic spirit of the post-2015 agenda, China needs to develop its own set of sustainable development goals and integrate them into the overall plan for national economic development. For such an emerging economy as China, new development goals must take into account the three pillars of economic development, social justice and environmental protection. At the same time, the private sector, social groups and research institutions should be involved in the formulation and implementation of sustainable development strategies. In this way, different voices can be heard and different forces can be mobilized to promote a sustainable development process.

Paying attention to the role of the non-government sector

On the one hand, China can learn from the experiences of developed countries in promoting the development of non-government sector in China and even in partner countries. First, the important position and role of the private sector and civil society groups should be confirmed legally, and relevant support policies (such as finance) should be introduced to facilitate their participation in international development cooperation. Second, more financial support should be given to the private sector and civil society groups, in order to provide a solid material foundation for their international cooperation activities. Finally, efforts should be made to urge and help the capacity building of the private sector and civil society organizations, and a unified management organization should be established to coordinate and manage their foreign assistance activities, avoiding the fragmentation and repeatability of international cooperation activities.

China should actively explore cooperation between the public and private sectors and make good use of publicprivate partnerships.

On the other, China should actively explore cooperation between the public and private sectors and make good use of public-private partnerships. First, under the situation of government-dominated financing, the private sector should be absorbed into the projects through PPPs. Second, the government needs to provide sound policies and legal protection, do a good job of planning and preparation, and ensure that the private sector can benefit from the partnerships. The private sector should actively cooperate with government departments to complete quality work. In addition, the involvement of civil society groups and the private sector can increase the understanding and support of the public for a number of international development cooperation activities, and through these, the misunderstanding and criticism of China’s foreign affairs may be eased, which is helpful to strengthen China’s exchanges and cooperation with other countries andenhance China’s influence in international development cooperation.

Insisting on the central role of North-South cooperation and urging developed countries to fulfill their international commitments as soon as possible

China should work with other developing countries to urge developed countries to fulfill their international commitments as soon as possible. In terms of official development assistance, China should urge developed countries to promptly and fully provide 0.7 percent of their gross national income (GNI) for international development assistance. Developed countries should increase their development assistance, especially in Africa and the least developed countries (LDCs). In terms of market access for developing countries, developed countries should abandon the principles and practices of various forms of protectionism and eliminate all barriers to trade and investment as soon as possible, increase the opening of the markets for developing countries, and promote global trade liberalization. In terms of debt sustainability, developed countries should effectively promote the process of debt relief for developing countries, in particular avoiding additional debt relief conditions. In terms of promoting capacity building in developing countries, developed countries should establish a sound mechanism for the transfer of technology, support the research, spread, and transfer of technology, strengthen human resources development and institutional capacity building, and strengthen development capacity building in developing countries. In terms of global governance, the international community should deepen the reform of the international governance system, promote the implementation of the agreed initiatives, and increase the representation and voice of developing countries.

Strengthening South-South cooperation as a useful complement to North-South cooperation

As a developing country, China’s economic foundations are not yet solid. With the expansion of the scale of international cooperation fordevelopment, China’s financial burden will inevitably increase. Thus, the traditional donor-recipient model is not suitable for China. China must combine foreign assistance and self-development, and adopt the win-win approach of South-South cooperation. Specifically, the emerging economies need to strengthen cooperation, solidarity and mutual help in seeking common development.

On behalf of developing countries, China should strengthen dialogue with developed countries, promote a favorable international environment and mechanism for developing countries, and prevent the developed countries from using peace and security, democracy, human rights and other sensitive issues as justifications for interfering in the domestic affairs of other countries. Using the platform of existing South-South cooperation, China should pursue the establishment of a formal and standardized mechanism, such as specialized seminars or high-level forums. Within its capacity, China should provide financial and technical assistance to other developing countries, and help them to improve their capacity building. A good way is to combine aid with trade and investment, which can promote exports and FDI in other developing countries and ultimately drive their economic growth. China should increase its exchanges and sharing of experiences with these countries, and they should learn from each other and pursue common development. China should also strengthen its cooperation with the United Nations and other international organizations, and use trilateral cooperation to enhance cooperation with other developing countries.

Promoting the construction of a new global partnership for development

Developed countries have adequate funding and have accumulated a wealth of experience; emerging economies have a better understanding of the development needs of developing countries; multilateral development institutions are good at knowledge and practice. Therefore, having South-South cooperation as the basis, China can use the G20, World Bank and other development cooperation platforms to further establish and strengthentrilateral cooperation with international organizations and developed countries, to gradually promote the international status of South-South cooperation. At the same time, with the participation of the private sector, social groups and other non-governmental actors, a new global partnership for development including developed countries, developing countries, multilateral development organizations, the private sector, social groups and other relevant actors, can be finally built to jointly promote the post-2015 development agenda. The participation of multiple actors will not only expand funding sources and enable complementary advantages, but also ensure transparency and boost the effectiveness of development cooperation. In addition, China should vigorously support the coordination role the UN in international affairs and promote the establishment of an effective global development policy coordination mechanism. China can promote the establishment of oversight mechanisms at the international, regional and national levels, to examine the implementation of official development assistance, technology transfer, capacity-building and other commitments. To ensure the monitoring and evaluation of the sustainable development process, China should also help developing countries strengthen statistical capacity building, improve the quality and timeliness of data, and so on.

Conclusion

As the largest developing country, China will continue to adhere to peaceful development and win-win cooperation, unswervingly follow the road of peaceful development, unswervingly pursue a win-win strategy of opening up, and promote the establishment of new international relations having win-win cooperation as the core. China’s development not only benefits the Chinese people, but also all peoples of the world. Based on national conditions and facing the future, the Chinese government seeks to combine the implementation of the post-2015 agenda with its national development strategies, working together with other countries to make a better future for all.