Deepening Global South cooperation to build Community with a Shared Future for Mankind

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Building a community with a shared future for mankind is a great undertaking that concerns the future of humanity, which requires the joint participation of people from all countries and cannot be achieved without the strong support and active efforts of the Global South. The countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America are the main body of the Global South and represent an important force in the current international political landscape. In the face of a severe and complex international situation, as the unprecedented changes in a century accelerate and the number of instable and uncertain factors facing human society continues to grow, how to unite the countries of the Global South and work together with the international community to address various global crises and challenges, and to uphold world peace and common development is a major issue that calls for our deep reflection.

First, China and the Global South share common values on major principles of international relations such as mutual respect, independence, non-interference in internal affairs, and opposition to hegemony and coercion. They also share common pursuits on issues of peace and development and have similar views and positions on contemporary international and regional affairs. Therefore, the Global South is a backbone force in advancing the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. The concept of a community with a shared future includes interdependent views on international power, common interests, sustainable development, and global governance, which has been highly endorsed by the Global South. The concept proposed by China is a continuation and development of the spirit of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, with a vision that embraces the "world of great harmony." It emphasizes the interdependence of nations and addresses the question of how humanity will "pursue development" in the future. A community with a shared future aims to balance the pursuit of national interests with consideration for the legitimate concerns of other countries, promoting the common development of all nations while advancing one's own national development. This aligns with the fundamental pursuits of the Global South’s pursuit of peace, development, respect, and equality. The Global South is not only an important force for realizing a community with a shared future but also a core component in building such a community.

The Global South is not merely a geographical or economic concept; it is an identity formed by emerging market countries and developing nations based on shared historical experiences, stages of development, common development goals, and similar political aspirations. Historically, the countries of the Global South have shared common goals of national independence, liberation, and opposition to colonialism and hegemony. Through their struggles, they gradually united and became an important international force. In recent years, with profound adjustments in the international political and economic landscape, the Global South has continued to grow, playing an increasingly important constructive role in the evolution of the international order.

The Global South is becoming a vital force in promoting an equal and orderly international order. In recent years, the Global South has continuously strengthened coordination and cooperation in international multilateral affairs, presenting an image of unity, cooperation, and self-strengthening, becoming an independent force with long-term political influence in the international community. The historic expansion of the BRICS cooperation mechanism, new developments in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the strong message from the "G77 and China" Havana Summit have injected new momentum into the process of global multi-polarization and pushed the international balance of power toward a more balanced direction.

With the rapid rise of emerging-market countries within the Global South, these nations are occupying an increasingly important position in the international balance of power. They are playing a key role in driving changes in the international governance system. In the face of global challenges, the countries of the Global South insist on placing peace and development at the center of the international agenda, which coincides with China's proposals for the "Global Development Initiative," "Global Security Initiative," and "Global Civilization Initiative" under the framework of the community with a shared future for mankind.

Second, deepening cooperation is the correct path to achieving modernization for the "Global South." If independence and self-reliance are the shared political foundation of the "Global South," then development, revitalization, and achieving modernization are the common historical missions of these nations. The pursuit of development and revitalization is the collective aspiration of the countries in the South. Building a world of lasting peace, universal security, common prosperity, openness, inclusivity, and environmental beauty is the goal of building a community with a shared future for mankind. Promoting global governance through consultation, co-construction, and shared benefits is the path to achieving this goal, with the “Global Development Initiative", "Global Security Initiative”, and "Global Civilization Initiative” serving as strategic guidance, and high-quality co-building of the "Belt and Road" Initiative providing the practical platform.

Chinese-style modernization has a clear goal: to contribute to the peace and development of humanity, ensuring that all people prosper together in a peaceful and stable environment, forming a community of shared destiny. The goal of Chinese-style modernization aligns with the goal of building a community with a shared future for mankind. Chinese-style modernization emphasizes mutual benefit and win-win cooperation with countries around the world, promoting the construction of a community with a shared future and striving to contribute to the peace and development of humanity. The concept of a community with a shared future advocates for consultation, co-construction, and shared benefits, as the renowned Chinese sociologist Fei Xiaotong once said: "Each is beautiful in its own way; the beauty of others' is also beautiful; when the beauty of all is shared, the world will be united in harmony."

Countries in the "Global South" exhibit three significant common traits in the context of globalization: an independent political stance, a commitment to development and revitalization, and a pursuit of justice and fairness. These characteristics have profoundly influenced the course of world history. As a natural member of the "Global South," China’s path of modernization holds important reference value for the modernization of other countries. The successful practice of Chinese-style modernization has broken the myth that "modernization equals Westernization," offering significant inspiration and examples for countries in the Global South that desire development while maintaining their independence. As the largest developing country, China has consistently adhered to a position that supports these countries in pursuing independent and autonomous development paths. Through development assistance, the co-construction of the "Belt and Road" Initiative, and the promotion of the Global Development Initiative, China shares development achievements with Global South countries and jointly pursues prosperity. These actions demonstrate China’s sincere willingness to share development opportunities with the countries of the Global South and to face challenges together. In the process of cooperating with China, Global South countries have directly experienced how China’s "Belt and Road" Initiative has contributed to the healthy development of economic globalization, solving global development challenges, and improving the global governance system. Mechanisms like the co-construction of the "Belt and Road" have provided development opportunities for related countries and enhanced the utilization of their geographical advantages. These cooperations have become an integral part of building a community with a shared future for mankind.

As the cooperation of the Global South continues to expand and its scale grows, the spirit of equality, mutual trust, mutual benefit, and solidarity demonstrated through BRICS cooperation and the co-construction of the "Belt and Road" is increasingly resonating with people, becoming more attractive and compelling. Global development cooperation will bear even more fruitful results.

Third, strengthening media cooperation, think tank dialogue, and cultural exchanges are key areas for building a community with a shared future. Think tanks and media can provide strong intellectual support in building a community with a shared future for the "Global South." First, think tanks and media play crucial roles as producers and distributors of discourse in the international community and international communications. They are important in shaping national images and enhancing international discourse power.

Through traditional methods such as academic exchanges, policy analysis, publishing papers, and releasing monographs, Chinese think tanks have achieved positive results in cultural exchanges with think tanks in the Global South. However, in terms of international discourse power, influence, and coverage, the situation of "the West dominating, while the East is marginalized" and "the North is strong, while the South is weak" remains prominent. The voices of the Global South are still limited in their reach, impact, and completeness. Significant and long-term efforts are still needed to enhance the international discourse power and influence of the Global South.

Cultural exchange is also a critical element of South-South cooperation in the new era, providing a solid social and public opinion foundation as well as spiritual nourishment for deepening cooperation within the Global South. In the process of co-building the "Belt and Road" Initiative, China has engaged in diverse and colorful cultural exchanges with countries along the route, such as establishing cultural centers, co-hosting "National Year," "Cultural Year," "Happy Spring Festival," and "Cultural Focus" events. These initiatives have deepened mutual understanding and friendship between the peoples of various countries and have become the cornerstone of mutually beneficial cooperation.

Not long ago, the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China successfully held its third plenary session, which outlined a strategic plan for comprehensively deepening reform and advancing Chinese-style modernization, presenting a grand blueprint. This will provide more cooperation opportunities for countries around the world. In early September, the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Beijing Summit was successfully held under the theme "Joining Hands to Advance Modernization and Build a Community with a Shared Future." Following the summit, the Beijing Declaration on Jointly Building an All-Weather China-Africa Community with a Shared Future for the New Era was issued. This is the latest achievement in advancing the process of building a community with a shared future for mankind.

The year of 2024 also marked the 10th anniversary of President Xi Jinping's proposal to build a China-Latin America community with a shared future. China will continue to strengthen solidarity and cooperation with Latin American and Caribbean countries, jointly advancing the steady progress of the China-Latin America community with a shared future. China will persist in unwaveringly joining hands with other developing countries, continuously deepening cooperation in the Global South, and writing more new chapters of win-win cooperation and joint progress on the journey of building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Find the original article at https://icsf.cuc.edu.cn/2024/1029/c6040a244809/page.htm