The world today is confronted with unprecedented and accelerated changes. An
important feature of the changes is that the collective rise of developing
countries is gaining momentum. The rise of developing countries as a whole is
based on and reinforced by their collective modernization. Thus an in-depth discussion on the modernization of the Global South is
urgently needed, not only in response to the call of developing countries for
peace, development and progress, but also to meet the aspirations of the people
of all countries for modernization and human advancement. The Global South is where the hope lies First, the Global South is where the hope lies today. The term "Global South"
has first and foremost a "south" dimension. However, the "South" in the Global
South is not a geographical term but a byword for emerging markets and
developing countries. It is an identity and representative of a community of
countries with similar historical experiences, political pursuits and
development goals. The term also has a "global" dimension. It symbolizes a prominent worldwide
trend of the collective rise of developing countries, and reflects their strong
wish for solidarity and self-reliance. The countries of the Global South once
suffered from aggression, colonization, suppression and plunder. It is through
years of struggle and hard work, along with the evolving changes in this
century, that the Global South has gradually become an important force driving
the reforms in the world order and seeking political independence, national
rejuvenation and international justice. The Global South is a leading champion of a new type of globalization.
Unilateralism, protectionism and populism are rearing their ugly heads today.
Attempts to build "small yards with high fences" to "decouple" from other
economies, sever industry and supply chains and stoke bloc confrontation are
rampant. Globalization has suffered major setbacks, and we have to make critical
choices to avoid being pushed back and forced to sail upstream. At this crucial moment, the countries of the Global South have chosen to
confront difficulties head on. They have embraced globalization in an
unprecedented manner, and launched mechanisms to improve globalization by
enriching its content and extending its outreach, and endeavored to make the
rules of globalization more reasonable and conditions more favorable. In
particular, countries of the Global South, upholding the principle of "planning
together, building together, and benefiting together", have pressed ahead the
Belt and Road cooperation to a new stage of high-quality development, thus
injecting new impetus into global growth, creating new opportunities for global
development, and building a new platform for international cooperation. Thanks
to these efforts, a new type of globalization that involves more diversified
players and is more open, inclusive and beneficial for all is taking shape.
Globalization has indeed been tinted with the Global South hues. The Global South is the source of strength for global multi-polarity. Since
the end of the Cold War, the trend of global multi-polarity has evolved amid
twists and turns. Along with the unfolding of profound changes across the global
economic and political landscape and the collective rise of developing
countries, the Global South has got an important opportunity to play a greater
role on the world stage. According to statistics, the land area of the Global South countries accounts
for more than 70 percent of the world's total, and its combined population and
contribution to global economic growth over the past 20 years account for 80
percent of the world's total. Hence, it is fair to say that the Global South has
already become the most dynamic force promoting multi-polarity in terms of its
size, vitality, growth potential and contribution. In fact, the collective rise
of the Global South is reshaping the global political landscape. The Global South is a key force promoting greater democracy in international
relations. Over the years, the voice of the Global South has been muted on the
world stage and the reasonable concerns of developing countries have not been
addressed. The few traditional powers that have dominated the right to set the
international agenda and rules have always put their own interests first. Their
hegemonic, domineering and bullying practices have disturbed the normal
international order and undermined international justice and fairness. Under the
new circumstances, more and more Global South countries have realized the
ideological and institutional yoke of imperialism and colonialism. And they are
more determined than ever to seek strategic autonomy, practice true
multilateralism, and promote greater democracy in international relations. By doing so, the countries of the Global South have gained a greater say on
the international stage and added new impetus to the reform of the global
governance system. Global South needs to achieve greater collective
strength Second, working together to advance modernization is what the Global South
must do to achieve greater collective strength through unity. Realizing
modernization is a shared pursuit of all countries of the Global South. To build
a better world, the Global South must work together to pursue and realize
modernization. Their aim should be to build a strong and modern Global South, so
as to propel the progress of civilization and develop a human community with a
shared future. The Global South must work together to prove wrong the saying, "the weak get
weaker". The modernization process of different countries is different. As the
countries of the Global South were once exploited, plundered and suppressed by
imperialists and colonizers, and started to develop their economy relatively
late with a weak foundation, they are the latecomers to the global modernization
process. In an international system that is neither fair nor reasonable, the
North-South divide continues to widen, which proves true more than ever the
Matthew Effect that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. The countries
of the Global South find it more complicated and difficult to achieve
modernization. The Global South's goals cannot be achieved if each country acts
on its own. Working together is the right way forward. United under the banner of the Global South, we should strengthen strategic
communication and policy alignment, remove barriers, and share resources,
technology and experiences to build a modern Global South market. More
important, we should leave no one behind and help all the countries of the
Global South catch up with the process of world modernization. The Global South must take measures to break the myth that modernization
equals westernization. For a long time, people believed westernization is
modernization. In fact, modernization is not a single answer question. Different
historical conditions lead to different choices of paths to modernization. The
modernization of the West started with the expansion of capitalism and reached
its peak with the help of colonialism, large-scale exploitation of other
countries and the use of power politics. It is an unjust path and by no means a
viable choice for the Global South. To realize modernization, the countries of the Global South must find a path
that best suits their respective national condition and is line with the trend
of the times. Besides, they should share their useful experiences, rise up to challenges
together, and support each other's exploration of paths in the pursuit of
modernization, so that the Global South and the wider world have more options to
achieve modernization. The Global South should also undertake the responsibility of championing the
just cause. The Global South wants to realize modernization not to oppose,
exclude and/or replace any country from the modernization process but to advance
the well-being of the entire human community. On the one hand, we should strengthen the Global South's synergy to defend
our legitimate rights and interests by tightening the important mechanisms such
as BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the G77+China. On the other
hand, we must stay away from zero-sum games and Cold War mentality and, instead,
strengthen the North-South dialogue and cooperation with a cool mind. There is also a need to build an open world economy and create an enabling
environment for inclusive development that benefits all. Only by doing so, can
we find the path to a new type of modernization that rises above the differences
in cultures, social systems and ideologies, and create a new eco-system
featuring harmonious coexistence and joint governance in order to realize
win-win results. China contributes strength to modernization of Global
South Third, China is ready to contribute the country's strength to advancing
modernization for the Global South. While addressing the 15th BRICS Summit in
Johannesburg, South Africa, in August, President Xi Jinping asserted that China
is a member of the Global South. China and most countries of the Global South
share similar historical experiences and journeys of struggle. And all of them
emerged from the fight against colonialism, hegemony and power politics. China has always supported the reasonable concerns of Global South countries,
defended their legitimate rights and interests, shared with them development
opportunities and outcomes, and helped them to achieve independent growth. China
is rooted in the Global South; it cares about the Global South. It has always
stood in solidarity with other countries of the Global South through thick and
thin, and has been an advocate for and an important player in South-South
cooperation. At the same time, China is an explorer and practitioner on the journey toward
modernization. The past 100 years traversed by the CPC to seek national
rejuvenation is also an exploration of a path to modernization. Thanks to the
unremitting efforts of previous generations, we have found that path and attest
that the countries of the Global South also have the right and the ability to
achieve modernization. China will never forget its roots and will remain a member of the big family
of developing countries and the Global South. No matter how the international
situation evolves, China will always be committed to the principles of amity,
sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness to develop relations with its
neighbors, follow the principles of sincerity, real results, affinity, and good
faith to develop relations with African countries, and adhere to the principles
of equality, mutual benefit and common development to develop relations with
Latin American countries. We will stand shoulder to shoulder with developing countries in Asia, Africa
and Latin America and explore the paths to modernization which best suit the
national conditions of the countries of the Global South. Going forward, China wishes to work with the other countries of the Global
South to press ahead with high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, implement the
Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global
Civilization Initiative to build a modern Global South and a community of the
Global South with a shared future, so as to lay a solid foundation for the
modernization of the world and build a human community with a shared future. We believe the modernization of the Global South will become an unstoppable
trend in the near future. A stable, united, strong and prosperous Global South
will no longer be a forlorn dream, and humanity will eventually enjoy progress,
lasting peace and sustained development.
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