By Qi Zijian, Liang Youchang
SYDNEY, April 20 (Xinhua) -- As international law is "being broken almost every day," the world urgently needs a revamped global framework, and China's Global Governance Initiative offers a path toward an improved international system, John Menadue, an Australian media founder, said.
"The world, the international system, particularly through the United Nations, is in serious trouble," Menadue, founder of the online journal Pearls and Irritations, told Xinhua in a recent interview. "International law is being broken almost every day."
Menadue started Pearls and Irritations in 2013, which is an Australian platform for the exchange of ideas and publishes informed analysis and commentary on issues that matter to Australians, with a focus on politics, public policy and foreign policy, among others.
He stressed that the current global structure may no longer be sufficient to address mounting challenges and China is set to play a vital role in shaping what comes next.
"We need a renewed international structure," he said. "What China is starting through its Global Governance Initiative is an important way of building toward a reformed world arrangement and institutions."
"I think China can and will play a very important role in shaping the international system in the future, which is failing us so badly at the moment," he said.
Menadue was formerly secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, ambassador to Japan, secretary of immigration and CEO of Qantas.
He has visited China on several occasions, including once in 1973 alongside Gough Whitlam, who was Australia's prime minister at the time. He has long observed and closely studied China's development and foreign policy.
Amid the current energy crisis, Menadue pointed to China's leadership in renewable energy as a key example of its growing global role.
"China is a world leader in renewable energy -- there is no doubt about that," he said. "I think China can make a particular contribution like no other country can."
He argued that climate change remains one of the most pressing challenges facing the world today, and warned of severe consequences ahead driven by rising sea levels and environmental pressures.
"We are going to see massive population movements, particularly in our region," he said. "Sea levels are going to rise dramatically, and there will be many people looking for safety."
"Together with what China is advancing through its Global Governance Initiative and its response to climate change, China is demonstrating growing global influence," he said. ■
