System reset

By focusing on complementary cooperation and shared development, countries of the Global South can spur better global governance

Since the start of this century, the economies of developed countries have registered relatively slow growth, while some developing countries have experienced rapid economic growth. This high-speed economic growth in countries of the Global South has created new opportunities for more extensive complementary cooperation among developing countries and is becoming a new growth engine for the global economy.

Driven by the wave of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the Global South countries are focusing on complementary cooperation and shared development, actively embracing technological innovation and development opportunities, and aiming to create a more equitable and reasonable international cooperation ecosystem. This approach will help steer international relations and global governance in a more just, reasonable and healthy direction.

However, there are still significant disparities in development between the Global North and the Global South. The future development of the Global South faces several challenges.

First, sustainable development is the key to resolving current global issues. Historical issues such as national border disputes and racial discrimination, however, can create conflicts among the Global South countries, distracting attention from sustainable development issues. Therefore, the Global South countries need to further consolidate a consensus on promoting development and avoid being sidetracked by sudden hot-spot issues. Additionally, in pursuing the attainment of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, there should be increased support for the institutional and cooperative development of the Global South countries.

Second, there is a need to guard against some developed countries to divide the Global South through their so-called value-based tricks and direction misguidance. A current hype focuses on the "North-South differences" or the so-called impact of the rising South on the global order and "new colonialism". The purpose is to deliberately construct barriers against globalization, thereby interrupting supply and industry chains and maintaining the existing technological hegemony and developmental disparities. For instance, in recent years, with the support of the United States, India has been seeking to shape its image as a leader of the Global South in regional or multilateral cooperation mechanisms, bringing new challenges to South-South solidarity.

Third, a common mistake in international relations is the comparison of different countries' social phenomena without considering the differences in the historical starting point and development levels in the modernization processes between developed and developing countries. Although these comparisons lack a common basis and are thus irrational, they are often used by some hegemonic countries as a tool to criticize developing countries. For example, some developed countries, while neglecting the resource and technology needs of the developing countries in their development process, criticize their governments for inaction and simultaneously prohibit or restrict the export of technology that could aid in green development.

The Global South needs to promote more institutional innovations that facilitate differentiated development. This involves at least three aspects.

First, in the past, the Global South countries lacked necessary mechanisms and capabilities. On the one hand, although the Global South countries have built many platforms and mechanisms for cooperative development, their participation in global development and governance is still fragmented, compared to the current international cooperation mechanisms dominated by developed countries. An example is the South-South debt financing support mechanism.

On the other hand, for a long time, the Western countries, particularly the US, have held "double standards "on international affairs and development issues. This not only serves to maintain their vested interests but also reflects the developed countries' lack of proper understanding of the different development needs of the less developed Global South countries. To address this, it is necessary to strengthen international cooperation that objectively reflects the development demands of the Global South and integrates them in the relevant platforms and mechanisms so they can participate in global governance.

Second, there is a need to pay close attention to the misalignment between the existing international cooperation mechanisms and the development needs of the Global South countries, such as industrial development priorities and aid methods that are ill-suited for the development needs of these countries. It is noteworthy that when the Global South has relatively abundant development elements such as capital accumulation, large-scale industrial clusters, less commercially developed resources and large populations, it is possible to establish new standards and systems for cooperation among the Southern countries based on these elements. In view of this, the Global South should focus on enriching various development resources and enhancing their systematic participation in global affairs.

Third, under the new conditions of technological development, efforts should be made to create cooperative mechanisms conducive to fair and reasonable international political and economic development. Whether it is North-South cooperation or South-South cooperation, traditional cooperation mechanisms can no longer satisfy the development needs of countries under the rapidly changing conditions of technological development. Globalized production and distribution, accelerated circulation of resources and information, and the new technological revolution are bringing profound changes to global development that will impact the development of international relations in unprecedented ways. To address these issues, strengthen South-South cooperation, and shape North-South relations in new direction, more institutional designs and a complete overhaul of concepts are needed.

The author is a researcher at the Institute of West-Asian and African Studies and the China-Africa Institute at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Contact the editor at editor@chinawatch.cn.