Since World War II, the phenomenon of “South–South cooperation” (SSC) to challenge the political and economic dominance of the North has become more prominent among the Global South’s countries after the rising power of countries in the Global South. Egypt’s President “Abdel Fattah El-Sisi” calls for raising the voice of the “global South” to promote the rights and interests of developing countries, President “El-Sisi” looks to the global South as an important force in promoting changes in the international order. President “El-Sisi” looks to China as a pivotal player in the global South-South cooperation. Within the approach to Asia, the Egyptian political leadership was keen to consolidate its relations with the Global South and all its active parties, with China at the top of the list.
Egyptian President “Abdel Fattah El-Sisi” also spoke through his political speeches by emphasizing the “voice of the global South”, and that since the formation of the global order in the wake of World War II, developing countries have been suffering from structural imbalances at various levels, adding that developing countries are also facing many problems of the emerging challenges resulting from multiple and successive global crises, as well as the escalation of geopolitical and economic tensions to dangerous levels, especially during the current time, with President “El-Sisi” expressing his regret for dealing with duplicity in dealing with some international issues that have not been resolved over many decades, most notably the Palestinian issue. The Egyptian political leadership has also strengthened diplomacy towards Asia and the Global South, as they have come to advance the priorities of partnership and development, through close ties and creative cooperation with China, the Shanghai Organization, and BRICS.
In his political speeches, President “El-Sisi” emphasizes the importance of building an interconnected and comprehensive global economy, as economic crises in some countries may spread to others or affect the ability of those countries to play an effective role at the global level, which may cause economic stagnation and a decline in intra-regional trade. He stressed that this approach summarizes Egypt’s vision regarding ways of global economic management through communication and cooperation with the countries of the Global South, led by China and President “Xi Jinping”. President “El-Sisi” expressed Egypt’s keenness to invest in the close relations with China in order to establish tripartite cooperation for the benefit of African and Arab countries, and cooperation within a South-South framework, taking into account the availability of technical expertise and financing capabilities in China, at a time when Egypt enjoys a distinguished strategic location that is considered a China’s gateway to Africa, taking into account also that Egypt welcomes Chinese investments whose products can be exported to the countries of the African continent with which Egypt has free trade agreements.
Here, Egypt Is keen to strengthen its cooperation with China as a leader of the global South in various fields, including combating terrorism, which Egypt believes must be done through a comprehensive strategy that does not stop at the borders of military and security cooperation, but extends to include economic and social dimensions, as well as cultural and intellectual dimensions. Providing security and stability must be accompanied by creating an appropriate environment for economic growth and providing job opportunities, as well as settling protracted conflicts, all of which are circumstances exploited by terrorist groups in order to attract new elements to their ranks. In this regard, I will not fail to point out the necessity of stopping the supply of money to these groups and weapons, and applying punitive measures on countries that support them.
Egyptian President “El-Sisi” stresses the importance of the Chinese “Belt and Road” strategy and its role in enhancing the economic growth of Egypt and the countries to which this strategy extends as a leader of the global South through the “South-South” strategy, with President “El-Sisi” stressing that Egypt supports the initiative to revive the Silk Road, Taking into account that Egypt can be a major focal point for implementing this initiative through the projects taking place in the Suez Canal, whether through digging the new canal or the development project in the canal area, which includes the establishment and development of 7 ports, as well as the project to develop the national road network, which is Which would enhance trade opportunities between Egypt and Asian countries, especially China. It was also stated that President “El-Sisi” stressed Egypt’s interest in benefiting from China’s pioneering experience in various fields, including: developing local administration, administrative development, e-government, and developing the state’s administrative apparatus, in addition to developing scientific research activities and the field of communications and information technology, and developing… Human capabilities by benefiting from Chinese training and technical qualification programmes, modernizing the medium, small and micro enterprise sector, as well as developing agricultural techniques, especially in the field of irrigation and drainage, as well as cultivation, combating desertification and increasing the productivity of the agricultural area of food crops.
Cooperation between the countries of the Global South, led by China and Egypt, has extended to the implementation of many measures that China and Egypt may implement to cooperate in the field of combating terrorism and extremism, with President “El-Sisi” affirming in his political speeches that today’s world has become complex and changing and is constantly facing new challenges that intersect. Its causes and effects are manifold and cannot be limited to one region or another. At the forefront of these challenges comes terrorism, which knows no religion, nation, or borders. Its treacherous hand and negative effects extend to destroy the lives and capabilities of peoples and undermine the structure of countries, their entities, and their national institutions. This is something that Chinese President “Xi Jinping” completely agrees with “El-Sisi”.
President “El-Sisi” views China as a leader of the countries of the Global South, President “El-Sisi” considers it one of Egypt’s most prominent comprehensive strategic partnerships. Throughout a “golden decade”, as Beijing officials describe it, and for 10 years, President “El-Sisi” has been keen to consolidate relations with the People’s Republic of China and the President “Xi Jinping”, and they exchanged visits and meetings on several occasions, and promoted cooperation in all fields. China has remained Egypt’s largest trading partner for 12 consecutive years, and one of the most active and fastest-growing countries to invest in the Egyptian market. Its companies have also cooperated with the government in establishing important projects, such as: the Central Business District in the Administrative Capital, and its iconic tower, and the construction of the first electric railways in Africa, and the Economic and Commercial Cooperation Zone “TEDA” in the Suez Canal area, in addition to cooperation in assembling, installing, and testing satellites, and in building a solar energy station.
The urgent need has emerged among the countries of the world in the South for cooperation and unity in order to maintain their existence and get rid of the negative consequences of the vast political, economic and social differences in their relations with the countries of the North. The emergence of the Global South as a specific group of countries is considered a contemporary phenomenon, through which the countries of the South have worked to build cooperative relations among themselves, which are called South-South relations, as this type of cooperation is characterized by many characteristics that make it a different method from other traditional methods of cooperation for developing countries that aim to achieve solidarity and cooperation in various fields, such as trade, investment, financial and technological cooperation, etc. Especially since the mechanism of South-South cooperation has become an important part of international exchange policy for many countries wishing to raise their levels of economic progress. In addition to all of this, it becomes clear to us that developing countries face the challenge of assembling the conditions for their economic launch in light of an international reality characterized by the existence of a deep gap and a stark disparity in the level of development between the developed and developing worlds. Indeed, this disparity exists between the group of developing countries themselves and within a single country. We note that the geographical and social characteristics of the countries of the South are reflected in the structure and structure of their economies, as these countries are characterized by many economic characteristics that distinguish them from the countries of the North. In line with this rationale for South-South cooperation, there has been a renewed emphasis on supporting economic and political cooperation between the countries of the South at the regional and sub-regional levels. In Southeast Asia, the establishment of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has brought together multiple countries that did not share Previously in any sub-regional group, in addition to (Association of Southeast Asian Nations).
It must be emphasized that the emergence of some important economic poles among the countries of the South has made them a major actor in the international economy and an influential element in creating the geography of international trade. Most of the countries of the South have achieved a noticeable improvement in the size and structure of their trade relations with the outside world, making some of them real competitors to the countries of the North at the level of international markets.
As for (China’s role in the Global South), we find that it is strategically urgent for China to ally with the countries of the Global South to get rid of the hegemony of the Western perspective. The site indicated that with the emergence of unprecedented global changes, the Global South is no longer the “silent majority” but has become a power. Key to reshaping the international system.
Over the past decade, China’s rise has not only been seen as a comprehensive challenge to US hegemony, but Beijing’s growing alliance with the Global South has also quickly become seen as a potential equal to the G7 and its partners globally in terms of the multilateral system and global norms.
It Is agreed that although the G7 is more cohesive, China has successfully presented an updated vision of global governance that appeals to the Global South. The fact remains that the countries of the Global South represent more than 80% of the world’s population, and a huge amount of natural resources, especially emerging economic powers such as BRICS.
China asserts that independence is the defining characteristic of the Global South and that the search for strength through unity is its legacy. Now, with unprecedented global changes emerging, the Global South is no longer the “silent majority,” but rather a major force reshaping the international order and a source of hope at a time when the world is witnessing profound changes not seen in a century.
China believes that, by all accounts, the Global South is gaining an increasingly prominent role in international politics and public affairs, indicating its emergence as an important new force shaping the global order. In addition, a stronger BRICS means increased strength for peace and increased international support for justice and equality in global governance.
At the same time, China is trying to help the Global South have its voice represented, given that the voices of the Global South are not yet adequately represented in mainstream global media coverage. As we now know, a fair number of Western media sources have been active in smearing the countries of the Global South and China, to mislead public opinion and set agendas. Given this, it is strategically urgent for China to ally with countries of the Global South to break away from the hegemony of the Western perspective and tell the stories of its development in its own voices.
Finally, I believe, as a first step, China should address the concerns of the Global South by offering insights and solutions to current hot topics from the perspective of the Global South. For example, China has pledged to continue showing the true face of the Chinese economy, as Western media and political elite have tried to distort China’s image such as conspiracy theory about China’s economic collapse and “debt trap” for developing countries.
