Foreign

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

Published

3 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

Shantou taps new growth momentum via AI token exports

Published

1 month ago

June 15, 2026

Our Reporter

By Li Gang, People’s Daily

As artificial intelligence (AI) accelerates the transformation of global industries, a new form of digital trade is emerging in the southern Chinese city of Shantou: exporting computing services measured not in physical goods, but in AI tokens.

In late April, Shantou, Guangdong province completed full-chain verification for what has become known as “token exports” — a model in which computing power remains within China while high-value AI services are delivered to overseas users. Within just one month, average daily token usage surged from 100 million to the tens-of-billions level.

The practical application of this model is already well underway.

Recently, when a user in Singapore activated an AI-powered toy and gave a simple command — “Tell me a fairy tale” — the spoken command traveled through the network directly to a dedicated overseas computing zone inside a computing center in Shantou.

Local deployed AI agents wrap up speech recognition in under one second and craft custom story content, firing the finished audio back to the Singapore-based toy device in as little as 0.1 seconds.

The user repeated the process multiple times, eventually listening to five stories in total. Approximately 100,000 tokens were consumed during the interaction and billed in real time at a rate of 2 yuan ($0.3) per one million tokens.

When payment arrived, a complete commercial cycle was achieved, marking the successful realization of Shantou’s “token export” model.

Tokens represent the smallest discrete calculation unit for large AI models to process information. They have become a key indicator of intelligent computing capacity and, increasingly, a new carrier of value in the digital economy.

Inside the China (Shantou) Pilot Zone for Economic and Cultural Cooperation with Overseas Chinese, token exports are already transforming the economics of electricity.

Today, overseas users across multiple countries and regions in Southeast Asia are accessing token services generated in Shantou.

“Data flows in from abroad and all processed outputs head back overseas, with zero compromise to end-user experience,” explained Cai Qichen, an engineer at the Shantou Branch of wireless carrier China Mobile. “Token costs have already been integrated into product service packages, making future usage more convenient.”

According to estimates from toy manufacturer SHOWMAC based in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, using Shantou’s computing services reduces costs by more than 30 percent compared with directly purchasing overseas computing resources.

Meanwhile, inside computing centers, turning electricity into AI tokens delivers dramatic value appreciation. A kilowatt-hour of electricity, which comes at a cost of roughly 0.5 yuan($0.07) , can be transformed through AI computing into tokens and then exported at a price of 11 yuan($1.6), representing a twenty-two-fold increase.

As one of eastern Guangdong’s major offshore wind power bases, Shantou has already connected 1.2 million kilowatts of installed capacity to China’s power grid.

The electricity itself does not need to cross borders. Computing power remains within China. What gets exported instead are high-value digital services, turning electricity into a form of hard currency for cross-border digital trade.

Ultra-low network latency forms the technical backbone making token exports feasible.

“More than half of China’s outbound bandwidth carried by international submarine cables lands in Shantou, and the city is also home to five undersea trunk cables linking destinations worldwide,” said Hong Zhebin, chief technology officer of the international submarine cable landing station operated by the Shantou branch of wireless carrier China Telecom.

“The latency between Shantou and Singapore is only 32.7 milliseconds, quicker than the blink of an eye,” Hong added.

Hong Yu with the Shantou Branch of China Mobile, added that Shantou’s overseas computing services offer stable response speeds, regulatory compliance, and substantial cost advantages.

“Our pricing is only 1/3 to 1/2 that of mainstream international platforms, while customer retention exceeds 70 percent,” Hong told People’s Daily.

Yet building a complete end-to-end system is only the starting point. Shantou is now attempting to transform itself from a transit city for digital infrastructure into an ecosystem hub.

Leading computing companies and developers are gathering rapidly. Pilot platforms have passed acceptance reviews. Commercial closed loops have already emerged in applications ranging from AI toys to intelligent manufacturing, with large-scale operations expected soon.

Shantou’s Chenghai district has long been known as the “toy capital of China.” As AI becomes increasingly integrated with the toy industry, the city has launched an AI toy innovation center and the Shantou AI Laboratory, striving to become the “AI toy capital of China.”

At the exhibition space of one local tech firm sits Amy, an AI desktop robot capable of fluid multilingual conversation.

“It is equipped with a multilingual intelligent voice interaction system capable of real-time recognition and conversation in dozens of languages,” said the company’s general manager Chen Ruifeng.

The technology has already been integrated into multiple AI toy products exported to countries including the United Kingdom, Russia, and Japan.

Shantou’s token export model allows AI toy manufacturers to access domestic large language models at costs far below those of overseas alternatives.

“The cost of using overseas AI models can be dozens of times higher than domestic models,” Chen said. The company’s AI toys currently run on Chinese large models including DeepSeek and Doubao.

“Token exports have significantly increased both product value-added and international competitiveness,” he said.

The Shantou branch of wireless carrier China Unicom, together with a Guangdong-based tech firm, has established dedicated lines connecting Shantou and Vietnam, delivering cross-border computing services to Aachen Sv, a Chinese-invested fiber-optic company operating in Vietnam.

Vietnamese users accessing large models such as DeepSeek and Qwen experience extremely low latency with zero packet loss. “In less than a month, more than a dozen companies have approached us for consultations,” an employee of the Guangdong-based tech firm said.

Meanwhile, the Guangdong branch of China Mobile has launched an OpenClaw intelligent agent framework, providing integrated AI service packages that allow traditional toys to complete intelligent upgrades in as little as 15 days.

From toys to textiles, cross-border e-commerce, and high-end manufacturing, tokens are increasingly becoming the digital fuel powering Shantou’s industrial upgrading.

Foreign

Sanxingdui Museum transforms ancient relics into interactive experiences

Published

2 months ago

May 31, 2026

Our Reporter

By Song Haoxin, People’s Daily

What if museum visitors could truly interact with cultural relics rather than merely observe them through glass displays? At the Sanxingdui Museum in southwest China’s Sichuan province, a specially designed interactive hall is revolutionizing cultural engagement.

Within this 1,300-square-meter space, nearly every exhibit invites touch, operation, or participation. Visitors immerse themselves in installations inspired by the ancient Shu civilization, blending education with entertainment.

By trying on replicas of headwear on bronze statues discovered in Sanxingdui Ruins, for example, visitors can not only take photos of themselves but also learn about the symbolic meanings behind different headpieces.

Guests can don replicas of bronze statue headwear from the Sanxingdui Ruins, learning their symbolic meanings while capturing photos. Augmented reality allows dancing alongside virtual Sanxingdui figures for social media sharing. A creation zone even enables “time travel” to experience ancient bronze-casting and construction techniques.

These innovations transform traditional museum visits, offering deeper cultural understanding through hands-on interaction. “This hall emerged from extensive brainstorming,” explained Zhu Yarong, deputy director of the management committee of the Sanxingdui Ruins site.

“We’re transitioning from passive relic viewing to interactive engagement, bridging the gap between audiences and history.”

Previously, museum experiences were largely one-directional with limited engagement. Visitors viewed relics through display cases, usually stopping mainly to take photographs, with relatively limited forms of engagement. By liberating artifacts from display cases into interactive settings, Sanxingdui is pioneering a shift from didactic presentation to open cultural dialogue.

Traditional exhibition spaces remain popular, while digital innovations attract growing interest. A VR project employs digital twin technology to recreate 1:1 scale excavation sites — complete with protective shelters and cabins — placing visitors at the archaeological forefront.

Another project, Heaven and Earth Echoes — Sanxingdui Panoramic Sound and Vision Digital Art Theater, features an interactive panoramic LED dome with a diameter of 20 meters and a resolution approaching 16K. The massive dome creates a deeply immersive atmosphere. By waving digital torches in their hands, visitors can trigger sacred birds to circle above them across the dome, experiencing the ancient Shu civilization through an interplay of sound and imagery.

“The digital technology made me feel as if I were racing across the Mamu River. That sense of traveling through time was incredible,” said Hao Yong, a tourist from southwest China’s Chongqing municipality who came specifically to experience a virtual reality program.

From passive observation to active participation, Sanxingdui Museum continues introducing new interactive experiences that transform cultural relics into living carriers of dialogue and engagement, helping keep the sparks of Chinese civilization alive for new generations.

Foreign

A living testimony about MKA: The Aondoakaa that I know Written By Brahms Tor-Ikuan

Published

2 months ago

May 19, 2026

milcah

My people of Benue State,

I am not speaking to you today as a politician. I am speaking as a brother whose family was held up by Chief Mike Kaase Aondoakaa, MKA, when we had no one else to hold onto.

My elder brother, Verem Ukaa-Ikuan, was not just my blood. He was a very dear and close friend to Chief MKA. When my brother fell ill and was diagnosed with liver damage caused by poisoning, MKA didn’t treat it as someone else’s problem. He took it on as his own.

He worked closely with Verem during his time as Attorney General of the Federation, and when the sickness came, he moved immediately. Searches were conducted, and Apollo Hospital in India was earmarked for a liver transplant. Every travel arrangement was made personally by Chief MKA.

But we hit a wall. Verem was too weak to fly a long commercial flight. Only an air ambulance could get him to India alive. At that time, there was only one functional air ambulance in the entire country, owned by Julius Berger. It was completely out of reach for even the most high-profile citizens.

Chief MKA went all out. He did not give excuses. He did not delay. He used every connection and every ounce of influence he had to secure that air ambulance for my brother.

On the day it was secured, Barr. Terna Yaji, his Senior Special Assistant, called me a few minutes after 6pm. He told us to prepare Verem for departure and take him to Makurdi airport very early the following morning. I informed him, my brother passed on at exactly 6 o’clock a few minutes ago. I told Barr. Terna Yaji, and I saw a devastated MKA.

During the burial, Chief MKA was out of the country on national assignment. He was pained that he could not be there physically. His entire team, led by the late Onov Tyuulugh, represented him fully. And his message to us at the burial has never left me:

“If death were law, as the Attorney General, a law would have been made no matter what to ensure Verem will just not die but live forever.”

That is who Mike Kaase Aondoakaa is when nobody is watching. He does not abandon his people. He does not forget. He stood with our family then, and he has stood with us till date.

Now he is asking for the chance to govern Benue State.

Benue needs a governor with a heart like that. A governor who fights for you even when there’s no political gain. A governor who sees you as family, not as a vote.

I am standing with Chief Mike Kaase Aondoakaa for Governor of Benue State.
For compassion that moves to action.
For loyalty that does not fade.
For leadership that proves itself in the darkest hour.

Join me. Let us give Benue a leader who has already shown what he will do for us.

God bless Chief Mike Kaase Aondoakaa.
God bless Benue State.

Brahms Tor-Ikuan, a beneficiary of MKA’s benevolence writes from Makurdi