The development of the Global South aligns with the trends of the times and will provide more impetus for global development, a Chinese expert said about Chinese President Xi Jinping's speech at Session II of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, India on Sunday.
In his address, Xi said BRICS countries must seize the historical initiative, rally the Global South, be an active, stabilizing and positive force in international affairs, and advance the well-being of all humanity to bring stability to the world and make it a better place.
"The development of the Global South aligns with the trends of the times and will inject greater momentum for global development. It means that the collective rise of the Global South is unstoppable. In this process, Global South countries should view BRICS cooperation as a crucial platform and seize the opportunities it brings or, in other words, they should view shared development as the core objective, to forge broader synergy with the guidance of China," said Su Xiaohui, director of the Department for Developing Countries Studies at the China Institute of International Studies.
Xi called for Global South countries to defend the rule of law in international affairs together and ensure that international law and international rules are applied to all, without double standards.
He urged BRICS countries to hold high the banner of multilateralism, uphold the authority and role of the United Nations, stay committed to a people-centered development philosophy and strive to deliver on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
To deal with global challenges, Xi urged Global South countries to work together to advance security governance and tackle both traditional and nontraditional security threats.
Su said these proposals align with the shared aspirations of Global South countries and offer a viable pathway to enhance the influence and voice of the Global South in international affairs.
"While China plays a leading role in the formulation of the rules, it also hopes that Global South countries can join forces to make the international order and its related systems more just and equitable, enabling them to follow the trend of global development more closely and address the aspirations of developing countries," she said.
Xi also proposed five initiatives in AI, trade and investment facilitation, digital industry, smart manufacturing, and talent development.
"The initiatives aim to make BRICS countries, including those in the 'BRICS Plus' group, realize through their cooperation with China that more choices are accessible thanks to the vigorous vitality of the BRICS mechanism. The initiatives offer the world a new development pathway in political security, economics and trade," said Qian Feng, a research fellow at the National Strategy Institute of Tsinghua University.
Development in Global South to inject more impetus into global development: expert
