The 2026 Two Sessions in China, comprising the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the National People’s Congress (NPC), serve as a strategic compass for the Global South, shaping economic and development policies that support multilateralism and the “community with a shared future for mankind.” These meetings promote South-South cooperation, advance sustainable development, and offer an alternative model of global governance based on partnership and mutual benefit. Especially given Chinese President Xi Jinping’s call to build a community with a shared future with neighboring countries and to vigorously work towards opening new horizons for China’s work on neighboring countries and the Global South, as stated at a central conference on work related to neighboring countries attended by President “Xi” in April 2025, where he explicitly stated, “To build a community with a shared future with neighboring countries, China will work with its neighbors to enhance mutual strategic trust, support countries in the region in pursuing development paths suited to their own conditions, and properly manage differences. China will work to deepen development integration with its neighbors and neighboring countries, build a high-level connectivity network, strengthen cooperation in industrial and supply chains, advance cooperation on security and law enforcement, and expand people-to-people exchanges.” Furthermore, President Xi Jinping’s leadership is keen to promote key Chinese global initiatives in the Global South and China’s neighboring countries, namely the Global Development Initiative (2021), the Global Security Initiative (2022), the Global Civilization Initiative (2023), and the Global Governance Initiative. These initiatives, along with the Global Governance Initiative, form a comprehensive framework for China to build a community with a shared future for mankind.
Through the Two Sessions meetings this year (2026), China is striving to deepen the initiatives of China and President “Xi Jinping” for global development, particularly for the Global South and China’s neighboring countries. This is especially crucial given that some developed countries have prioritized their geopolitical interests over cooperation, exploiting development resources through sanctions, disengagement, and reduced development assistance, thus reneging on the global consensus that the right to development is an inalienable human right. Furthermore, the unbalanced global governance structure has left developing countries at a disadvantage in the formulation of international rules, while technological embargoes and trade barriers continue to widen the development gap. Meanwhile, multilateral cooperation mechanisms have been increasingly weakened by unilateral actions, resulting in a severe shortage of global public goods and a lack of coordinated international responses. Therefore, these issues not only raise the risk of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development failing but also highlight the urgent need for additional Chinese measures to address global development challenges.
Accordingly, the importance of the 2026 meetings for the Global South and China’s neighboring countries, and for providing an alternative model of global governance, can be summarized in the following points: (The meetings contribute to supporting multipolarity): The meetings contribute to shaping a new global landscape by strengthening mechanisms, such as BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, thus reducing unilateral hegemony and increasing the voice of the Global South in international forums. They also promote a “community with a shared future for mankind”: Here, the meetings provide a practical framework for implementing China’s peace and development initiative (through President Xi Jinping’s Four Global Initiatives for Development, Security, Civilization, and Global Governance), thereby enhancing stability, openness, and inclusiveness in international relations.
The 2026 Sessions of the World Economic Forum underscore the importance of strengthening South-South cooperation. Through these meetings, China focuses on sharing its development experiences, particularly in poverty reduction and technological development, which benefits developing countries by improving their economies and reducing their dependence on the West, especially through projects under China’s Belt and Road Initiative. The sessions serve as a platform to reaffirm China’s commitment to the Belt and Road Initiative, providing investment opportunities and high-quality infrastructure for developing countries and deepening economic integration. Thus, through these meetings, China aims to steer its development towards serving the progress of the entire world, and the Global South in particular, emphasizing that its security and development are linked to the stability and prosperity of developing nations.
On the other hand, the 2026 Sessions of the World Economic Forum in China focused on promoting high-tech growth and applying the Chinese model of modernization as a model for the Global South. Policies aimed to support multilateralism, enhance mutual benefit through the Belt and Road Initiative, and deepen the concept of a “community with a shared future for mankind” in the face of international challenges, with an emphasis on stable development despite demographic challenges. The most significant outcome and impact of the Sessions was the introduction of a new development model for the Global South: the 2026 Sessions presented a (new development model based on the Chinese model of modernization), offering alternative options for developing countries, with a focus on strengthening cooperation in infrastructure, energy, transportation, and the digital economy. The meetings of the two sessions also emphasized China’s commitment to multipolarity. China reaffirmed its foreign policy aimed at strengthening partnerships based on “mutual benefit,” which serves the international system’s move towards multipolarity and reduces reliance on unipolar hegemony, especially in light of economic transformations and trade tensions.
Therefore, the meetings of the two sessions in China this year, 2026, underscored China’s firm commitment to promoting the principle of “a shared future for mankind.” This was achieved by promoting China’s vision of building a “community with a shared future for mankind” through highlighting “mutual benefit” and sustainable growth. This reflects China’s vision of promoting common development, overcoming conflicts, and maximizing mutual gains for all. China’s development strategies have focused on stimulating domestic consumption while simultaneously opening up, ensuring trade and investment flows that provide mutual benefits with international partners, particularly with developing countries with which it has strong trade relations. With the establishment of several economic goals for China during the implementation of its new 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), the 2026 Two Sessions of the China National Council adopted a number of key principles for the new Five-Year Plan, focusing on high technology, ensuring robust growth, and addressing challenges such as an aging population and domestic debt, among others.
