Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses the annual high-level general debate of the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York, the United States, Sept. 28, 2015. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)

by Xinhua writer Shi Xiaomeng

BEIJING, Sept. 21  -- "The greatest ideal is to create a world truly shared by all," Chinese President Xi Jinping said five years ago in his debut at the solemn UN General Assembly Hall, citing an ancient adage that reflects the defining world view ingrained in China's millennia-old civilization.

Upholding that ideal, Xi expounded his concept of and approach to building a community with a shared future for mankind, his flagship vision on how to guide humanity through the various common challenges toward a better future.

Five years later, Xi's vision is gaining more relevance and importance. As the United Nations celebrates its 75th anniversary, the world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century, with COVID-19, the gravest global public health crisis since the 1918 influenza pandemic, having intensified both centrifugal undercurrents that are pulling the world apart and centripetal forces that are strengthening global solidarity and cohesion.

At such a momentous juncture, Xi is to appear once again on the most prestigious international platform, attending a series of virtual UN high-level meetings in the coming days and presenting China's answers to the fundamental questions hanging over the world.