Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, September 11th September 12th is the United Nations South-South Cooperation Day. In the context of the current era of intertwined world events and the growing global South, the significance of this international day of commemoration is further highlighted.
On September 12, 1978, the United Nations Conference on Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries adopted the Buenos Aires Action Plan, establishing a framework for technical cooperation among developing countries. In 2003, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution to designate December 19 of each year as the United Nations South-South Cooperation Day. Since 2012, the United Nations South-South Cooperation Day has been changed to September 12 to commemorate the "Buenos Aires Action Plan" adopted on this day in 1978.
Looking back, from the 1955 Bandung Conference to promote unity and cooperation among Asian and African countries, to the birth of the Non-Aligned Movement in 1961, the establishment of the Group of 77 in 1964, and then to the establishment of various economic cooperation organizations, organizations of raw material producing and exporting countries, and monetary and financial organizations in the global South, South-South cooperation has been continuously strengthened and has achieved fruitful results in revitalizing regional economies and enhancing the voice of developing countries, which has become a profound historical footnote for the establishment of this International Day.
Today, the United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation has gone through more than 20 years. Countries in the Global South adhere to independence, unity and cooperation, work side by side on the road to development and revitalization, and move forward hand in hand on the road to safeguard fairness and justice, playing an increasingly important role in the cause of human progress.
Several figures and facts outline a new picture of the collective rise of the Global South.
In the past 40 years, the global share of the global South's economic aggregate has increased from 24% to more than 40%, becoming a key driving force in promoting the world's multi-polarization process; more than 50% of developing countries' exports flow to other developing countries, and the proportion of South-South trade has increased from about 10% in 1995 to about 25% currently; The BRICS countries have achieved historic expansion; the Shanghai Cooperation Organization has gradually become a new regional cooperation organization with the largest territory, largest population, and huge development potential in the world... Today's global South is uniting and cooperating more closely, and is no longer a passive recipient of the international political and economic order, but an active shaper. This is exactly the meaning of the United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation.
The other side of the picture cannot be avoided: hegemonism, unilateralism, and protectionism are moving against the current, and the international development environment is facing severe challenges. The road to revitalization of the Global South has never been smooth, but South-South cooperation has been continuously enriched in responding to challenges and has shown strong resilience and vitality. When introducing this year’s South-South Cooperation Day activities, the official website of the United Nations said: “Countries in the Global South are increasingly strengthening the exchange of solutions in the fields of renewable energy, digital innovation, public health, sustainable agriculture, disaster prevention, education and public services.”
In the picture of development and revitalization of the global South, China is one of the figures that attracts the most attention. The World News Syndicate website recently published an article pointing out an interesting phenomenon: In countries in the Global South, many young people not only imitate the Chinese in drinking hot water, doing Tai Chi, etc., but they also witness China improving their lives. Much of this sense of identity stems from the way China engages with other countries in the Global South. In the words of an article on the Russia Today TV website, China provides a different model of exchanges, which is based on infrastructure, trade, investment and recognition of the right of countries to independently choose partners and development paths. Many countries in the Global South believe that this is more attractive than the Western model.
Recognition is the starting point, action is the key. China has always been concerned about and rooted in the Global South. In the five years since the Global Development Initiative was proposed, it has transformed from Chinese propositions into international consensus, and expanded from goal alignment to rich practices: China has initiated the establishment of more than 30 cooperation mechanisms and platforms to provide strong support for countries in the Global South to enhance their independent development capabilities. Driven by the China-United Nations Peace and Development Fund, the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund, and others, it has mobilized a total of more than 23 billion US dollars in funds, implemented more than 1,800 "small but beautiful" and "people-warming" cooperation projects, and trained more than 200,000 talents of various types. From the high-quality Belt and Road Initiative to help southern countries reduce industrial development costs and improve employment and people's livelihood, to policies such as "zero tariffs" and "export to China" to share opportunities in the Chinese market and help southern countries better integrate into the global production and supply chain, China has always adhered to the concept of mutual benefit, win-win and common development, been a trustworthy partner of southern countries, and used its own development to help revitalize the global South.
China has also worked with its partners in the Global South to promote the development of the global governance system in a more just and reasonable direction. Promote the high-quality development of "Greater BRICS Cooperation", promote the development and expansion of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, support the international financial architecture to better reflect the reality of the world economy, and support the reform of the United Nations Security Council to increase the representation of developing countries... An article on the German "China Platform" website pointed out that China's initiative is quite attractive to countries in the global South. China has successfully brought together major countries in the global South to demonstrate its diplomatic influence.
From the mid-20th century to the present, South-South cooperation has gone through a process of several decades, with the direction becoming increasingly clear and the pace becoming firmer. The collective rise of the Global South is profoundly changing the world, and the world should hear the voice of the South and see the power of the South on this day and every day. China will continue to be a companion of countries in the Global South who share weal and woe through thick and thin.
