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BEIJING, Nov. 19-- "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times," English novelist Charles Dickens proclaimed in 1859, alluding to the chills and hopes after the Industrial Revolution. One and a half centuries later, it is still a world of contradictions, brought forth by yet another round of industrial and technological revolutions, observed Chinese President Xi Jinping debuting at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in early 2017. Global challenges from regional conflicts and terrorism to widening income gaps and climate change have nudged humanity to a crossroads of conflicting solutions: globalization or anti-globalization, multilateralism or unilateralism, integration or isolation. While some are retreating to the easier option of unilateralism and isolationism, the Chinese president has been leading a spirited defense of multilateralism to make economic globalization more invigorated, inclusive and sustainable. This commitment was also featured in Xi's latest overseas trip, which took him to Greece for a state visit and to Brazil for the 11th BRICS summit last week, and witnessed his call for global efforts to uphold multilateralism and steer the world towards the vision of "a community with a shared future for mankind." HISTORICAL CROSSROADS "We are meeting at a time when crucial developments are taking place in the world economy and international landscape," Xi told the recent summit of BRICS, an emerging-market bloc that groups Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. | 
