Foreign

Global South confident in building equal, orderly multi-polar world

Published

2 years ago

August 10, 2023

Edu

By Huan Yuping, People’s Daily
For some time, discussions on the “Global South” have proliferated around the world. The term refers to the whole of emerging economies and developing countries, and mirrors their collective emergence on the international stage.
As profound changes unseen in a century are evolving rapidly in the world today, these discussions signal an intensifying aspiration of these nations for independent development, solidarity, and cooperation. These countries are becoming a non-negligible force in the international landscape.
I.
In the 1950s and 1960s, some countries that had broken free from the shackles of colonialism and embarked on the path of independent development began using the “South” concept to indicate the systemic inequality between developing countries and industrialized countries, or the “North.” Over several decades, the “Global South” has always pursued peace, development, fairness and justice.
The current focus on the “Global South” has its special context. Since the Ukraine crisis escalated, the international community’s attention to peace, security and development has been raised to new heights.
Some major countries in the West are exploiting the crisis to stir up camp confrontation, and continue to pressure countries whose positions differ from theirs. They even attempted to coerce emerging markets and developing countries to pick sides.
Some Western countries frequently wield unilateral sanctions as a weapon, exerting impacts on the stability of global finance, energy, transport and supply chains. This further drags down the struggling world economy.
Facing such a complex and grim situation, emerging markets and developing countries have maintained a rational attitude. They support peace talks, promote dialogue and negotiations to resolve the Ukraine crisis, firmly resist the hegemony of a few Western countries, and explicitly oppose all forms of unilateralism and the forming of blocs and exclusive groups targeted against particular countries.
Recently, the summit of the EU-Community of Latin American and Caribbean States(CELAC) was held in Brussels, Belgium. During the summit, Latin American countries rejected unilateral demands put forward by the EU on issues such as the Ukraine crisis and trade negotiations, insisting on their own reasonable positions.
This once again demonstrated the increasing focus of emerging markets and developing countries on safeguarding their legitimate rights and interests on the international stage, and on gaining a bigger say in the global governance system.
The sobriety demonstrated by emerging markets and developing countries in a volatile world fully demonstrates their rising strategic independence.
Some international observers believe that the world is witnessing a new “non-aligned movement” as more and more countries are refusing to submit to the United States and pick a side.
Former director of Policy Planning for the U.S. Department of State Anne-Marie Slaughter believes that developing countries’ reactions to the Ukraine crisis represent a much bigger shift in the international order than most American and European analysts give credit for.
A Washington Post article wrote that the non-Western world, the long-neglected Southern Hemisphere, or what is usually referred to as “the rest,” is making its voice heard.
The increasing confidence demonstrated by the “Global South” on the international stage highlights the diverse values and interests of the developing world, reflecting the urgent need to safeguard peace and development and defend fairness and justice.
II.
From a long-term historical perspective, the focus on the “Global South” is an inevitable result of the collective rise of emerging markets and developing countries.
During the Cold War, many developing countries had no choice but to survive between the cracks of the two major camps, with no strategic independence to speak of. Today, the “Global South” represents the vast majority of the world’s population and accounts for half of the global economy. It now stands in a completely different historical position, with an even stronger desire for peace, development and cooperation, as well as greater determination for solidarity and self-strengthening. Its ability to resist hegemony and power politics has significantly improved.
Independence is the political foundation of the “Global South.”
Most developing countries had once been invaded, colonized or plundered. They cherish peace and independence. However, power politics and hegemonic practices are disrupting world peace and have become the biggest destructive factors challenging international peace today.
The “Global South” remains highly vigilant about this and jointly opposes all forms of hegemony and power politics, Cold War mentality, camp confrontation, interference in other countries’ internal affairs, and double standards. It plays a crucial role in maintaining world peace and stability.
Development and rejuvenation are the historical mission of the “Global South.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres cautioned that without fundamental reforms, the richest countries and individuals will continue to pile up wealth, leaving crumbs for the communities and countries of the Global South.
As the global economic recovery lacks momentum, developing countries face particularly daunting development challenges. Standing at a critical juncture of global development, the “Global South” widely believes that the international community should work together to make global development more inclusive, universal and resilient, and accelerate implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The world should adhere to win-win cooperation, reject narrow-minded beggar-thy-neighbor and selfish policies, abandon unilateral approaches that monopolize development advantages, safeguard equal development rights for all countries, and promote common development and prosperity.
Equity and justice are the common proposition of the “Global South.”
A few Western countries incite ideological confrontation, form exclusive cliques, undermine international solidarity and impede global cooperation.
The “Global South” generally believes that the international community should unwaveringly uphold the international system with the UN at the core and the international order underpinned by international law.
It holds that state-to-state relations should be coordinated and regulated through proper institutions and rules, and the strong should not bully the weak. Decision should not be made by simply showing off strong muscles or waving a big fist. Multilateralism should not be used as pretext for acts of unilateralism.
The “Global South” rejects the “rules-based international order” hyped and imposed on the developing world by Western countries. It advocates making the international order more just and reasonable, continuing to increase the representation and voice of emerging markets and developing countries, and promoting the building of an equal and orderly multi-polar world.
In recent years, the “Global South” has seen increasing highlights on the international stage.
The 27th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change(COP 27) successfully established a loss and damage fund to provide financial assistance for vulnerable countries hit hard by climate disasters.
Countries including China, South Africa and Brazil are committed to promoting a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis and steadily building international consensus for peace talks.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is steadily advancing its membership expansion, with its cooperative philosophy gaining wider influence.
The BRICS countries are exerting growing influence, with more countries applying to join.
The rise of emerging markets and developing countries has not only led to historic changes in the international balance of power, but also brought new ideas about handling international affairs, injecting new vitality into the entire international relations system.
III.
In June this year, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa remarks at the Summit for a New Global Financial Pact deeply resonated with emerging markets and developing countries: African countries “felt like we were beggars when we needed access to vaccines.” He noted that Western countries were hogging vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic while African countries were helpless when they needed vaccines most.
In February this year, Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo also expressed similar disappointment at the Munich Security Conference. He said some Western countries only took care of themselves and disregarded other countries in urgent need of help.
In the eyes of the “Global South,” some Western countries have long dominated international affairs and prioritized self-interests while neglecting their international responsibilities. Facing the increasingly confident “Global South” in strong demand of strategic independence, a few Western countries feel unaccustomed, uncomprehending, and even furious. They have resorted to threats, inducements, and division, which reflects their ignorance of the history of emerging markets and developing countries, their neglect of the realistic needs of the “Global South,” as well as their arrogant and biased detachment from reality.
Since this year, on multiple occasions like the G7 summit and NATO summit, some Western countries have stepped up their empty show of “paying attention” to emerging markets and developing countries. However, the value of such “attention” can only be tested by actions.
If these Western countries really valued the “Global South,” they should not have fueled the flames in Ukraine and caused the crisis to expand and prolong, or even labeled calls for ceasefire from emerging markets and developing countries as “unacceptable.”
They should not have imposed sanctions and “decoupled” when the “Global South” faced development difficulties, which added serious risks to global economic recovery. They should not have paid only lip service without following through on official foreign aid commitments and funding support for developing countries to cope with climate change.
Martin Wolf, chief economics commentator at the Financial Times, pointed out in his article “The west must recognize its hypocrisy,” that many countries view the United States and European major countries as “selfish, self-satisfied and insincere,” and this view makes perfect sense.
The “Global South” should not be an arena for international political rivalry, nor should it become a tool for major power competition and geopolitical games.
If Western countries really value the “Global South,” they should keep pace with the times and adjust their thinking on international affairs. They should earnestly abide by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, earnestly respect the rights of emerging markets and developing countries to independently make policies and develop, patiently listen to the latter’s demands, and help them develop and address global challenges like climate change.
Singaporean scholar Kishore Mahbubani said, a reality that the West must accept is that the people of non-Western countries, who today comprise almost 90 percent of the world’s population, want a bigger say in global affairs. The world can only make the right decisions to strengthen multilateralism and the international order based on the UN Charter, otherwise “disorder” will dominate the world, he noted.
China is an ex-officio member of the “Global South” and will always be a member of the big family of developing countries. The increasingly louder voice of the “Global South” in international affairs fully demonstrates that the historical trend toward greater democracy in international relations is unstoppable. As emerging markets and developing countries play an increasingly important role in global governance, the forces defending the basic norms of international relations, upholding international fairness and justice, and promoting world peace and development will continue to grow.

Foreign

Japan must face consequences for dangerous provocations on Taiwan question

Published

6 days ago

November 24, 2025

Our Reporter

By Zhong Sheng, People’s Daily

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi recently made public remarks suggesting the possibility of military intervention in the Taiwan Strait, grossly interfering in China’s internal affairs. Despite repeated representations from China, she has refused to repent for her blatant and provocative rhetoric, which represents a blatant violation of the one-China principle and the guiding principles set forth in the four China-Japan political documents. Her actions have gravely undermined the political foundation of China-Japan relations and severely offended the sentiments of the Chinese people.

Assertions by a handful of Japanese politicians that China is “overreacting” to Takaichi’s erroneous comments are a misrepresentation of facts and a deliberate attempt to discredit China’s legitimate and reasonable position. The Taiwan question bears directly on the political foundation of mutual trust between China and Japan.

In 1972, the two countries signed the Sino-Japanese Joint Statement and officially established diplomatic relations, which states that the Government of Japan fully understands and respects this stand of the Government of the People’s Republic of China, and it firmly maintains its stand under Article 8 of the Potsdam Proclamation. In 1978, the two countries signed the Treaty of Peace and Friendship Between China and Japan, which affirmed the principles and contents of the joint statement in legal terms and set out the legal parameters for China-Japan relations.

In 1998, the two sides released the China-Japan Joint Declaration on Building a Partnership of Friendship and Cooperation for Peace and Development, in which Japan undertook to “continue to maintain its stand on the Taiwan question which was set forth in the Sino-Japanese Joint Statement” and “reiterated its understanding that there is one China.”

In 2008, the China-Japan Joint Statement on All-round Promotion of Strategic Relationship of Mutual Benefit stipulated clearly in Article 5 that “The Japanese side reiterated that it will continue to abide by its position on the Taiwan question stated in the Sino-Japanese Joint Statement.”

The above is what is laid out in the four political documents between China and Japan regarding the Taiwan question. It constitutes the solemn commitment made by the Japanese government and has a legal effect under international law. There is no room whatsoever for ambiguity or misinterpretation. Whichever political party or person is in power in Japan, they must always abide by the commitment of the Japanese government on the Taiwan question.

Takaichi’s statements fundamentally contravene the guiding principles set forth in these political documents and strike at the foundation of the China-Japan bilateral relationship. As the leader of a country, she should have exercised basic political responsibility and worked with China to promote the sound development of bilateral relations. Instead, shortly after expressing a commitment to the position outlined in the 1972 Sino-Japanese Joint Statement, she irresponsibly claimed that a “Taiwan contingency” could be a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan and implied that Japan may invoke the so-called right to collective self-defense to interfere militarily in the Taiwan Strait.

Such rhetoric is deeply corrosive to the political foundation of China-Japan relations. It reflects provocative strategic intentions and poses a serious threat to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the region. No sovereign nation can tolerate such flagrant interference in its internal affairs or accept threats of military action from foreign leaders.

Takaichi must take direct responsibility for the political damage her remarks have caused. The only responsible course for the Japanese side is to confront its historical and bilateral obligations with sincerity, cease inflammatory behavior, retract the erroneous statements, and take concrete steps to honor its commitments to China.

A sound and stable China-Japan relationship serves the interests of the Japanese people. Undermining bilateral ties not only runs counter to the prevailing regional and global trends but also lacks public and political support.

In recent days, the extreme and provocative moves of the Takaichi administration have triggered widespread criticism from insightful voices within Japan. Takakage Fujita, secretary-general of the Association for Inheriting and Propagating the Murayama Statement, stated that Takaichi’s remarks violate international law and inflict serious harm on bilateral relations. An editorial in The Tokyo Shimbun criticized her comments as “reckless and careless,” emphasizing that such statements are unacceptable from a sitting prime minister.

Numerous Japanese netizens have bluntly questioned Takaichi’s diplomatic competence, urging her to retract her misguided remarks. Some Japanese people have even organized demonstrations to protest her irresponsible and provocative behavior. Japanese politicians should take these rational voices seriously and refrain from further escalating tensions along a dangerous trajectory.

On matters of fundamental principle, the Chinese people remain unwavering. The Taiwan question lies at the very heart of China’s core interests. Any attempt to challenge this red line will be firmly opposed by the more than 1.4 billion Chinese people and the entire Chinese nation.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, as well as the 80th anniversary of Taiwan’s restoration to China.

As a former aggressor that inflicted innumerable atrocities in Taiwan, Japan bears a historical responsibility to reflect deeply on its past and exercise heightened caution in its approach to the Taiwan question. Aligning with forces that seek to divide China runs counter to the prevailing trend of peace and development. Should Japan persist in this course, it will inevitably bear the consequences of its actions.

(Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by People’s Daily to express its views on foreign policy and international affairs.)

Foreign

Bamboo innovation drives low-carbon development in E China’s Anhui

Published

6 days ago

November 24, 2025

Our Reporter

By Han Lei, People’s Daily

In Chizhou, east China’s Anhui province, bamboo is emerging as a sustainable alternative in daily life. Products traditionally made from plastic, such as straws, ice cream sticks, disposable chopsticks, and cutlery, are increasingly being replaced by bamboo-based alternatives.

At a manufacturing facility in the Chizhou High-Tech Industrial Development Zone, automated production lines produce five million bamboo straws daily. Each year, two billion bamboo straws are exported to more than 40 countries and regions, displacing approximately 6,000 tons of plastic and reducing carbon emissions by 36,000 tons.

“Bamboo straws do not soften in water or break easily, and they are fully renewable and biodegradable,” said Yin Mingliang, the company’s general manager. However, he noted that producing even a simple item like a straw posed significant technical challenges, including issues with mold resistance, heat tolerance, and high production costs.

Initial attempts to resolve these problems through partnerships with three PhD research teams were unsuccessful. A breakthrough came in 2017 when a fourth team, after three years of development, enhanced machinery efficiency to produce 2,000 straws per hour and reduced the unit cost to 0.04 yuan ($0.0056), roughly on par with plastic straws.

The company has also developed an integrated pyrolysis system that converts bamboo wastes into high-value products such as activated carbon and hard-carbon anode materials for sodium-ion batteries. The process captures and reuses steam, enhancing energy efficiency.

Chizhou, home to more than 600,000 mu (40,000 hectares) of bamboo forest, has historically underutilized this natural resource. Recently, the city launched a three-year action plan to promote bamboo as a plastic substitute, extend the industrial value chain, and raise incomes for local farmers.

“Who would have thought that bamboo, once overlooked, could now fetch a good price?” said Shu Rengui, a villager from Languan in Hengdu township of Shitai county, Chizhou, as he harvested bamboo in the morning mist. Shu supplies bamboo to a nearby processing facility and earns around 40,000 yuan annually from the business.

At a bamboo-processing base in Meijie township, Guichi district of Chizhou, two processing plants have been built, capable of handling 35,000 tons of bamboo annually. According to Zhang Yu, the site manager, more than 40 villagers are employed at the base, contributing to local income growth.

Chizhou has developed an integrated industry model linking leading enterprises, circular industrial parks, bamboo-splitting plants, and village cooperatives, establishing a full production chain that spans primary, advanced, and deep processing.

According to an official with the local forestry bureau, Chizhou now has 89 bamboo-processing enterprises with an annual capacity of 900,000 tons. In 2024, the city’s bamboo industry reached an output value of approximately 3 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 26 percent, and provided employment for nearly 40,000 rural households, boosting average household incomes by over 20,000 yuan.

The city is also expanding its global footprint. Through platforms such as the Canton Fair, or the China Import and Export Fair, bamboo products from Chizhou, including skewers, chopsticks, and straws, have entered markets in the EU, India, Japan, South Korea, and other countries and regions.

In December 2023, a Chizhou-based company was invited to speak at a side event organized by the International Bamboo and Rattan Organization during the 28th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, or COP28, sharing China’s experience in plastics substitution.

Bamboo industry development in Chizhou is accelerating. At the first high-quality bamboo industry development conference for Anhui province in 2024, Chizhou High-Tech Industrial Development Zone signed a framework agreement with CRRC, China’s leading train maker, to establish a national bamboo circular-industry park headquarters in Chizhou. Plans are also underway to develop more than 50 such parks in bamboo-rich regions across the country.

Foreign

China set to advance intelligent, integrated, multi-dimensional transport network by 2030

Published

6 days ago

November 24, 2025

Our Reporter

By Han Xin, People’s Daily

China is accelerating the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into its transportation sector, aiming to establish an intelligent, integrated, and multi-dimensional national transport network by 2030. A recently issued government guideline outlines 16 targeted tasks across four strategic areas, including technological innovation and scenario-based application, in a bid to enhance mobility, improve safety, and reduce environmental impact.

The guideline emphasizes self-reliance in core technologies and sets out a roadmap to ensure China’s transport infrastructure ranks among the world’s most advanced by the end of the decade. The strategy centers on breakthroughs in applied AI technologies, innovation in intelligent transport products, and the development of large AI models tailored to comprehensive transport systems.

“Strengthening the supply of key technologies is essential to build a full innovation chain from research and development to practical application,” said Wang Yunpeng, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and president of Beihang University. Wang added that developing large-scale AI models would enable the creation of a “transport brain,” equipped with high-quality datasets, algorithm libraries, and digital toolchains to support intelligent transformation across the sector.

Progress in large transport models is already well underway. The Transport Foundation Model Innovation and Industrial Alliance — launched under the guidance of China’s Ministry of Transport — has brought together more than 50 leading enterprises, AI companies, and universities and research institutes, identifying 860 typical AI application scenarios.

At the enterprise level, China Logistics Group introduced a large model serving over 40 specific scenarios including multimodal transport and warehouse scheduling. A “smart hub” built upon a transport large model developed by Chinese tech firm Baidu has been deployed in over 10 cities, serving over 1 million vehicles equipped with L2 driver-assistance driving systems.

“Demonstration regions across the country are applying large-model-based solutions in areas such as road network monitoring and early warning, active management of high-traffic corridors, and integrated mobility services,” said an official from China’s Ministry of Transport. By enhancing capacity along major transport routes and implementing multi-tiered, refined traffic management models, these demonstration corridors have achieved approximately a 20 percent increase in traffic efficiency and a 30 percent improvement in emergency response efficiency during unforeseen events.

Enabled by big data analytics and high-precision modeling, AI is establishing a robust digital foundation for China’s transport infrastructure. Statistics show that the 20 designated demonstration regions for digital transformation of highway and waterway infrastructure now encompass more than 60,000 kilometers of upgraded corridors, comprising approximately 54,000 kilometers of highways and 7,500 kilometers of waterways. These improved sections form a critical backbone of the national integrated, multi-dimensional transport network.

Diverse application scenarios are essential for driving the deep integration of AI into the transportation sector. The newly issued guideline identifies intelligent application scenarios across seven major areas, including assisted driving, smart railways, and smart shipping, designed to accelerate innovation through real-world implementation. “These scenarios span almost all segments of the transport system, offering broader opportunities for testing and deploying new technologies and products,” Wang said.

On the waterways front, China now has 52 automated terminals. Domestically developed intelligent operating systems for fully automated container terminals have been implemented at more than a dozen terminals both domestically and internationally. Electronic navigation charts for waterways have been successfully deployed along the Yangtze River’s main and branch routes. The accelerated adoption of intelligent technologies across ports, waterways, and vessels is significantly enhancing the efficiency of waterborne transport.

Parallel advancements are also transforming China’s road networks. The Beijing-Xiong’an expressway, powered by Baidu AI Cloud, leverages the collaboration between vision and language-based large models to deliver second-level alerts for major traffic anomalies. Didi Autonomous Driving, in collaboration with Chinese automaker GAC Aion, has developed a new generation of factory-installed autonomous-driving vehicles. As autonomous driving converges with vehicle-road collaboration, a growing number of “smart vehicles” are taking to “smart roads,” accelerating the evolution of intelligent mobility.

Deep integration of AI and transportation also depends on next-generation infrastructure. The guideline outlines targeted measures in terms of computing power, data, and networks to strengthen the supply of essential elements.

For computing power, the guideline calls for better coordination of computing resources within the transport sector and strengthening computing capacity based on major transport infrastructure and local conditions.

In terms of data, China will accelerate the development of comprehensive transport big-data centers, promote data sharing, and build high-quality dataset construction to fully leverage data as a production factor.

In terms of network infrastructure, the guideline calls for the integrated application of multiple network technologies, the construction of intelligent sensing systems and the development of high-speed data transmission channels to enable low-latency, high-reliability, and wide-coverage connectivity for vehicle-road collaboration, remote operations, and real-time monitoring.