By Prof. ZHANG Yuan
SHANGHAI - The current world is going through profound change on a scale unseen in a century. The group rise of the Global South, which represents emerging market countries and developing countries, is precisely one of the major signals of historical changes of today’s world.
This October, after the expansion of the BRICS organization, the leaders of the BRICS countries met for the first time, opening up a new scenario of high-quality development of greater BRICS cooperation. The development of the BRICS mechanism is a manifestation of the prosperity and self-improvement of the Global South through strengthened and broader cooperation.
China is an advocate of BRICS development and an actor in promoting the implementation and deepening of greater BRICS cooperation. Under the BRICS and other multilateral frameworks, China’s close cooperation with Iran is an important manifestation of South-South cooperation. In recent years, China and Iran have been making progress in pragmatic cooperation in various fields, including politics, economy and trade, and culture, and the potential of bilateral cooperation is constantly being released.
On October 23, Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the 16th BRICS Summit and proposed a speech titled “Combining the Great Strength of the Global South to Build Together a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind”. In this speech, President Xi stated that in order to promote the high-quality development of the greater BRICS, we should build a BRICS committed to peace, innovation, green development, justice and closer people-to-people exchanges. BRICS can be the defender of common security, the pioneer of high-quality development, the practitioner of sustainable development, the leader in reforming global governance system, and the advocate of harmonious coexistence among all civilizations.
Since its establishment, the BRICS cooperation mechanism has increased its internal cohesion in the economic, political and security fields. However, the deep-rooted contradictions in global development are multifaceted, involving the realization of international justice, North-South relations, the gap of wealth, the peace deficits, and civilizational mistrust, which are complex and intertwined. Dismantling deep-rooted development barriers in global development requires stronger and closer solidarity and collaboration of the Global South.
Upholding equity and justice
The problem of global inequality has existed for a long history. As economic globalization has developed to this day, the distribution of power on the international political stage has not matched economic power. The national strength of the Global South countries has continued to increase, but their influence and voice have not matched the efficiency of the increase in national strength.
The concept of economic globalization of neoliberalism is actually the economic ideology dominated by developed economies. This economic mode often ignores the development vision of other developing countries and exacerbates inequality in the international community. The existing global value chain once condoned the concentration of wealth in the North at the expense of the interests of the South countries. Only when the South countries gain more powerful voice and more rights of representation, can the world fundamentally rethink the way out for human development, give priority to people-oriented development needs more fairly, and consider truly sustainable fairness.
The rise of the Global South represents the hope of establishing a real fair and equitable international order. The BRICS countries can take openness and inclusiveness as their concept, pursue fairness and justice, practice true multilateralism, and then serves the common interests of humanity in global governance.
Sustaining development
Innovation is the driving force of development. A new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation requires the cultivation of new productivity and the harmony between human and nature. Green is the color of the era we live in. Only sustainable and coordinated development can truly bridge the development gap between the North and the South. This gulf in development used to be reflected not only in political and economic status, but also in sense of ecological system.
From the evolution of ecological politics, the global metabolic rift has existed for a long time. The ecological debt owed by northern countries is equivalent to strengthening the unequal power relations in the international system. Southern countries should neither fall into the dilemma between utilizing resources and promoting development, nor should they be held back by the ecological politics defined by developed countries.
BRICS countries can contribute to sustainable development through firm commitment and practical actions, respect nature, revere nature, and protect nature. A harmonious ecological environment protected by collaboration is an indispensable support for economic and social sustainable development.
Mutual learning among civilizations
While it is easy to note that BRICS specializes in economics, it is also true that economic goals play an important role in the cooperation among the Global South. However, humanistic exchanges are the fundamental source of the will of the people for win-win cooperation. The inclusive coexistence of civilizations and the symbiosis of peace and harmony among civilizations is a guarantee that the South can walk far with a consensus of solidarity and collaboration.
Different civilizations add radiance and beauty to each other. In the process of experiencing modernization, the Global South countries respect each other, support each other and make the other better.
At a time when the world is facing a series of serious security conflicts, peace, stability and prosperity require the full cooperation of the entire world. In particular, the developing countries should work together to promote the evolution of the international order in a more rational direction, so as to facilitate the formation of an equitable, orderly and multi-polar world pattern.
Peace is the universal pursuit of people all over the world. Peace and development are the prerequisites and goals for high-quality greater BRICS cooperation. The BRICS should be the champion of common security, practicing a common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable peace. In solidarity with a rising Global South, the world has tremendous promising potential to transcend those deep-rooted barriers that undermine development.
Dr. Yuan ZHANG is Professor and Director of the Religion in the Middle East Research Program of the Middle East Studies Institute (MESI) of Shanghai International Studies University (SISU).
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