China's tech rise, stemming from decades of opening up and participation in globalization, has opened the doors for the Global South to participate in the digital revolution, said business and technology strategy expert Denis Simon.
Speaking in a panel discussion on China Global Television (CGTN), Simon, senior lecturer at Duke University, stressed that China's immense and rapidly growing innovation capabilities did not come about by accident, but through decades of planning.
"We're now experiencing a structural change in what we would call the global innovation system. So China's rise is not an aberration. If you would have tracked the statements from Chinese leaders since 1979 when they opened up and engaged in economic reform, there was a sustained commitment to close the gap between China and the rest of the world," he said.
What began as an effort to close a 20 to 25-year developmental gap has now positioned the country at the forefront of cutting-edge fields like artificial intelligence, with implications far beyond its borders.
"It was a 20 or 25-year gap when this all began, and gradually but steadily, through policy reforms, through changes, through adjustments. And in fact, China has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of globalization. Its participation in the international science and technology affairs, in regional science and technology affairs, the sending of young people overseas for advanced education, all of these things have helped contribute to a sustained shift from the 'factory to the world' kind of model, now to an innovation driven economy," said Simon.
The expert pointed to China's breakthroughs in AI as evidence that the country is capable setting new industry standards, noting that the feat has given hope to many other aspiring nations.
"And we see probably the most recent case of DeepSeek, where China has kind of breakthrough in the world of AI language models, that China now can have different models of innovation, not simply copycat innovation, but also in some cases disruptive innovation. Recently I talked to two people from east Africa who said that they thought that their countries were shut out of the AI revolution because the humongous costs in terms of GPUs and investment dollars. But with the DeepSeek success and the open architecture they see now that Global South countries now can participate, maybe even fully engaged in this AI revolution," he said.
As China cements its role in AI and other high-tech sectors, its model of innovation could redefine not just its own economy, but the broader landscape of global technological equity, Simon added.
China rises from beneficiary of globalization to innovation pioneer: expert
Foreign diplomats and scholars are looking closely at this year's "two sessions", saying China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) will not only chart the nation's economic and technological priorities but also reshape global value chains.
The fourth session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the nation's top political advisory body, opened on Wednesday, followed by the annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC) on Thursday. Together known as the "two sessions," these meetings offer a comprehensive view into China's development priorities.
Global observers emphasized that the 15th Five-Year Plan, a blueprint guiding the nation's economic, social, and technological priorities over the next five years, marks a decisive shift toward high‑quality growth anchored in advanced technologies, with ripple effects across the world.
"The two sessions will discuss China's five-year plan, which is heavily oriented toward China's major technological development. I believe this is important because it represents the new blueprint for China's economy, which is now oriented toward the renowned high-quality development, and this will undoubtedly impact the entire world. I think it is worth studying. This is very important for Latin America. It will help us integrate more intelligently into global value chains and into all aspects of the major development that China is promoting in iconic industrial sectors, such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and space development, where Latin America also has much to contribute beyond just commercial growth," said Gustavo Sabino Vaca Narvaja, former Argentine Ambassador to China.
"The two sessions are a major political milestone in China, and this year's gathering carries even greater significance as this year marks the start of the 15th Five-Year Plan. This plan represents not only a blueprint for China, but also a guide for other countries. Instruments like the five-year plan effectively provide greater certainty and predictability for the rest of the world," said Chilean scholar of international relations Ignacio Araya Heredia.
"This is a particularly important date, especially due to the fact that the next Five-Year Plan shall be positioned and we're going to see what its main elements shall be. Serbia, which has a very high degree of steel friendship with the People's Republic of China, can expect further assistance in identifying the most prominent areas of Serbian economy and being helped by its great partner, such as it has been done in the previous period, from one part with establishing the main infrastructure projects, but also reshaping the industrial sector of Serbia, not just Serbia, but the region as a whole," said Veljko Mijuskovic, assistant professor of the Faculty of Economics of the University of Belgrade.
Beyond the policy framework, experts also pointed to China's achievements in green energy and technological innovation as models worth emulating.
Tomasz Bielinski, adjunct professor at the University of Gdansk's Faculty of Economics, said the robotics displays at the 2026 China Media Group (CMG) Spring Festival Gala reflected China's broader push in technological innovation.
"I was really impressed about the robotics. I'm very impressed with Chinese development in the technological field, we can still make great deals with Chinese businessmen and we can cooperate together to use this technology for both the good of China and the European Union. I'm aware of the innovation especially in autonomous drive on the on the Chinese side," he said.
"We hope for more of China's economic cooperation, especially in trade and also in investment. Also, and the other focus, if I talk about the focus of the development, don't forget about the green energy. We know that China is great in the electric vehicle field. So because China's electric vehicles in Indonesia nowadays, since couple of years ago, are very, very popular," said Al Busyra Basnur, president of the Indonesia-China Friendship Association.
Observers see China's new five-year plan driving high-quality development, global tech shifts
