On September 12 of this year, 2025, China celebrates the International Day for Cooperation between the Global South, chaired and supervised by the United Nations. China seeks to increase mutual political trust with countries of the Global South by coordinating positions and policies to reach consensus on regional issues and global challenges, thereby strengthening the power of countries of the Global South and amplifying the voice of developing countries.
In this context, Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered an important speech at the “BRICS Summit” Dialogue on October 24, 2024, in which he put forward three proposals to support countries of the Global South, most notably supporting peace and achieving common security and stimulating development and achieving global prosperity. He also announced a series of measures China would take to promote the development of the Global South, which sparked heated reactions from the international community.
Chinese President Xi Jinping put forward new ideas and proposals for building a “high-level community of shared future between China and the developing global South” and announced new measures for practical cooperation with countries in the global South. China also introduced new cooperation themes, such as state governance, industrialization and agricultural modernization, peace and security, and high-quality cooperation under China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
September 12th is the United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation. This year, 2025, marks the 47th anniversary of the adoption of the “Buenos Aires Plan of Action” for the global South. In my view, today’s South-South cooperation practices differ in values and governance logic from the 1978 blueprint in many ways and aspects. South-South cooperation is taking place more than ever in today’s world, with developing countries, working with organizations and civil society, seeking to achieve development goals through the exchange of knowledge, skills, and resources. Triangular cooperation introduces a third element: donor countries and multilateral organizations, which provide technical, financial, and in-kind support to foster these exchanges.
The Trilateral South-South Cooperation mechanism, through the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat as an international organization, was established to promote lasting peace, common prosperity, and shared culture among the People’s Republic of China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea. Under an agreement signed and ratified by each of the three governments, the Customs Cooperation Council was officially inaugurated in the South Korean capital, Seoul, in September 2011.
Today’s South-South cooperation practices under Chinese support are focused on promoting collective self-reliance and enabling innovation, in contrast to the 1978 Plan, which initially focused on technical exchange between developing countries. Current core values include sharing expertise and resources, while the governance logic is based on developing countries driving these initiatives to ensure they meet their specific needs. The most prominent practices of South-South cooperation today under Chinese supervision include the following:
1) Values and Principles, which focuses on the following values:
A) Self-reliance and empowerment:
Current values focus on empowering developing countries to innovate their own solutions and share expertise to enhance their self-reliance.
B) Inclusivity and an integrated approach:
Initiatives today aim to expand cooperation to include the exchange of knowledge, skills, and resources between different countries and civil societies, not just technical exchange.
C) Focus on specific needs:
Priority is given to meeting the needs of least developed countries, small island states, and landlocked countries facing special challenges.
2) Governance logic, which is focusing on the following principles:
A) Leading from the South:
Current initiatives emphasize the need for developing countries to drive these cooperation initiatives to ensure they are aligned with their priorities and needs.
B) Triangular Cooperation:
The new governance logic includes integrating the third element through triangular cooperation, whereby developed countries or international organizations provide technical and financial support to promote South-South exchanges.
C) Complementarity of Capacities:
The governance logic aims to enhance the capacity of developing countries to identify development challenges and formulate effective strategies to address them, rather than relying solely on resource exchanges.
3) Differences from the 1978 Plan, based on the following aspects:
A) Expansion of Objectives:
While the 1978 Plan laid the foundation for technical cooperation, South-South cooperation has now evolved into a comprehensive approach covering multiple aspects of development.
B) Evolution of the Initiative Concept:
Governance has become more autonomous for developing countries, as they manage their own cooperation initiatives, not merely as beneficiaries of technical programs.
Based on the above analysis, we understand that China is working with developing countries in the Global South to promote a more just international order. As the world’s largest developing country, China has always been a strong member of the Global South, contributing to the common development of the Global South and bringing new ideas and strength to address humanity’s common challenges.
