China must correct its mistakes, big shots roundtable meeting | Western manipulation of the concept of the "Global South" summit | Countries | Global

Since the beginning of this year, the strategic value of the "Global South" has become increasingly prominent, with 55 reports mentioning the "Global South" from India's hosting of the "Global South" summit, the emphasis on strengthening relations with the "Global South" at the G7 Hiroshima summit, and the strong efforts of the West and Russia to compete for "Global South" countries on the Ukraine issue. The popularity of this concept has also continued to rise.

What is "Global South"?

During his attendance at the 13th BRICS High Representative Conference on Security Affairs in Johannesburg, Wang Yi clearly pointed out that the "global South" is a combination of emerging market countries and developing countries.

Faced with an increasingly influential collective, the United States and the West hype and manipulate the concept of the "global south", attempting to exclude China and other countries; On the one hand, it aims to attract and differentiate emerging market countries and developing countries, in an attempt to create a group that aligns with Western intentions and achieve control over the "global south".

Wang Yi stated at the BRICS Security Council that China is a natural member of the "global South" and will always be a member of the "big family" of developing countries.

Why has "Global South" become a buzzword? How to view the impact of the comprehensive rise of the "global south" on the international order? How can China respond to the Western use of the "global south" to create discourse traps and provoke confrontations?

Sister Wu invited Wang Youming, Director of the Institute for Developing Countries of the Chinese Academy of International Studies, Weng Shijie, Chairman of the Asia Pacific "the Belt and Road" Joint Policy Committee, and Xu Xiujun, Researcher of the National Global Strategic Think Tank of the Institute of World Economics and Politics of the Academy of Social Sciences, to interpret the "Global South".

Q1

Sister Wu: After the end of the Cold War, with the collective rise of developing countries, the concept of "global south" has become popular. Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, this concept has become particularly popular. What is the reason behind it?

Weng Shijie: After the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the western groups led by the United States formed cliques to support Ukraine and impose sanctions on Russia, but found that most developing southern countries did not follow its steps. This highlights the reality of the declining geopolitical influence of Western groups in the "global south".

At the same time, China's international cooperation initiatives such as the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative are highly welcomed by southern countries. The active participation of multiple countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America in the Group of Friends of Global Development Initiatives is a clear example.

This strong contrast is undoubtedly a warning to the United States, whose primary task is to curb China's geopolitical influence.

Subsequently, countries such as the United States, Europe, and Japan competed to send autumn waves to southern countries. The term "Global South" has also gone from being unknown and forgotten internationally, and has become an international hot topic. The attitude of Western groups towards the "global south" is disdainful and respectful, and this is nothing more.

Wang Youming: In recent years, the concept of "Global South" has been hotly debated due to profound and complex factors. The most fundamental underlying factor is that the United States and the West politicize this concept, intending to kick China out of the developing country team and use it as an opportunity to attract marginalized developing countries to serve their strategic needs of comprehensively containing China.

Xu Xiujun: After the 2008 international financial crisis significantly weakened the economic influence of Western countries, the Ukraine crisis signified the political decline of Western countries and the political rise of the "global south".

On the issue of Ukraine, the "global south" is no longer blindly following the West, and more and more countries in the international community dare to express political views that are different from those of the West, clearly refusing to impose sanctions on Russia. The "Global South" is therefore widely regarded as a political force that does not follow or even opposes the West.

Some Western politicians are keen on political manipulation and hype, attempting to shape the "global south" into a group that does not include China, serving as a political weapon to divide developing countries. Some Western powers have increased their investment in the "global south" to provide a platform for voice and cooperation, in order to hedge against the increasingly close cooperation process among developing countries; Even by directly intervening in the internal affairs and diplomacy of some countries, interfering with and hindering the development of normal economic and diplomatic relations between developing countries.

Q2

Wu Jie: What are the common characteristics and demands of the "Global South"? What does the growing influence of the "Global South" on the world stage mean for the world order that the West is striving to maintain for its own benefit?

Wang Youming: In the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the vast majority of the "Global South" countries did not dance with the United States and chose sides to stand in line, highlighting the strategic autonomy of emerging countries and developing countries at a time when the international order is heading for the future, indicating that the "Global South" countries are pursuing economic development and national revitalization in the post epidemic era, rather than following the United States and the West to engage in group politics and camp confrontation.

The strategic autonomy of "global southern" countries is conducive to promoting the democratization of international relations and the multi-level process of the world, and is conducive to promoting the global governance system towards fairness, justice, and effective balance.

Xu Xiujun: With the comprehensive rise of the "Global South" in economic and political fields, more and more "Global South" countries refuse to be involved in major power competition and confrontation. In the process of deep adjustment and transformation of the world pattern, the "Global South", as an international force that relies on military alliances to maintain its own security and interests, plays an important role in maintaining world peace and promoting common development.

Weng Shijie: "The Global South" basically continues the tradition of non aligned countries in the last century, maintaining its consistent diplomatic independence in the geopolitical game of major powers.

This group, which includes developing countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and emerging economies, is dissatisfied with the existing international order. The existing order dominated by Western interests has neither the space for a global southern discourse nor the complete disregard for the concerns and development rights of these countries.

The growth of the "Global South" will inevitably have an impact on the Western led international order and global governance.

Q3

Wu Jie: The West does not want to see a united, cooperative, and developing "global South". What role can China play in promoting cooperation among "global southern" countries and responding to Western intervention in the affairs of "global southern" countries?

Wang Youming: Foreign Minister Wang Yi provided an accurate definition of "Global South" at the BRICS Security Council meeting, pointing out three major characteristics and proposing four cooperation proposals with the aim of correcting deviations and restoring the original appearance of the concept of "Global South".

As a natural member of the "Global South", China will join hands with developing countries to firmly safeguard its own development interests and resolutely eliminate any attempts and tricks to divide developing countries.

China can take the opportunity of the "the Belt and Road Initiative" widely recognized by countries in the "Global South" to expand cooperation areas, tap cooperation potential, take advantage of the opportunity of developing countries' gradual recognition of the three major initiatives, follow the trend, work with the vast number of developing countries to build a new international order of justice and fairness, and abandon the hegemony and power systems of the United States and the West supported by allies and based on strength.

Xu Xiujun: Like the vast majority of "global southern" countries, China has a common history of being oppressed by imperialism and colonialism, and fully understands and identifies with each other's exploration of independent and independent development paths. This "natural sense of familiarity" has long been inherited and has become the foundation for deepening South South cooperation.

China has put forward and promoted the implementation of major international cooperation initiatives such as the "the Belt and Road Initiative", the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative. To a large extent, it has shaped the endogenous impetus for the development of the "Global South", provided a mechanism platform for the "Global South" cooperation, and safeguarded the practical interests of the "Global South".

Weng Shijie: China's "the Belt and Road" initiative and the three major global initiatives proposed in recent years have provided new solutions for global governance, and brought new opportunities for the "Global South" countries to participate in international affairs.

Among them, the "the Belt and Road" initiative reshapes the connectivity of the "Global South" countries in infrastructure and logistics, so that these countries can truly gain the benefits of global integration on the basis of joint discussion, construction and sharing.

The global development initiative, which is highly aligned with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, provides a multi-dimensional platform for sustainable development for countries in the "global South". Under the framework of building a community with a shared future for mankind, regional sharing of development dividends is the foundation for regional peace, which is extremely important for economic development.

The global security initiative proposed in 2022 does not mean the beginning of military alliances for developing countries. This initiative not only provides a mechanism platform for resolving conflicts, combating cross-border crime and terrorism, but also builds a multilateral cooperation mechanism for conspiring to address non-traditional security concerns faced by many southern countries, such as food security, energy security, climate anomalies, and other crises. This is fully in line with the spirit of the United Nations Charter, and in the current situation where the functions of international organizations are weakened, it can benefit the vast number of southern countries.

The Global Civilization Initiative, which will be launched in 2023, is a platform for cross-cultural and diverse exchanges, mutual learning and exchange. It helps "global southern" countries to expand their international discourse and establish cultural confidence. It also highlights several values in global governance, such as democracy, human rights, modernization, etc., which cannot be monopolized by Western rhetoric alone. This is a major opportunity for the global South to break free from Western civilization hegemony.