Published on: 2026-09-12
Source: People’s Republic of China — Translation
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Beijing, September 11 /Xinhua/ — Chinese President Xi Jinping will travel to New Delhi for this year’s BRICS leaders’ meeting just over a week after participating in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit held in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.
These two multilateral events are united by a defining theme: strengthening solidarity and cooperation among Global South countries.
FAMILY EXPANSION
“The SCO has its roots in the Global South and is always one of the pillars for South-South cooperation,” said Xi Jinping at the summit in Bishkek, which concluded last week, calling on the organization “to promote the development and strengthening of the Global South, relying on the wisdom of the SCO.”
At the upcoming BRICS leaders’ meeting, the Chinese leader is expected to put forward new proposals for Global South cooperation. According to him, BRICS “stands at the forefront of the Global South.”
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the founding of the SCO and the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the BRICS cooperation mechanism.
On the wave of collective growth of the Global South countries, BRICS and SCO have been expanding their membership and circle of partners among developing countries for many years. Their member states account for more than half of the world’s population and about 30 percent of the global economy. This indicates that both associations have become major platforms for cooperation among the countries of the Global South.
Xi Jinping not only joined other participating country leaders in promoting the expansion of alliances but also proposed new ideas and initiatives, such as the “BRICS Plus” format and the building of a SCO Community with a Shared Future, thereby opening new prospects for mutually beneficial cooperation among Global South countries.
“China consistently provides a clear vision and drives the development of BRICS and SCO, both conceptually and practically,” says Humphrey Arnaldo Russell, head of the ASEAN-China Research Center at the University of Indonesia.
“This has transformed BRICS from a relatively closed union into a broader platform for cooperation between developing countries and the countries of the Global South as a whole,” he added.
DEVELOPMENT FIRST
At the SCO summit held last week, Xi Jinping called on countries to “steadily prioritize development and open up prospects for joint prosperity.”
In conditions of an unstable and rapidly changing international situation, development still faces serious challenges, and the path to prosperity for the Global South will not be easy.
“The Global South strives for development and thrives in the process of development. We must be the main driving force behind common development,” said Xi Jinping at the BRICS meeting in Kazan, Russia, in 2024.
The Chinese leader always gives development priority attention. He considers it the “universal key to solving all problems” and consistently calls on countries worldwide to jointly strive for development and prosperity.
Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized that in the fight against poverty in China, no one should be left behind. He led a massive campaign to eradicate absolute poverty, which became “the greatest achievement in the fight against poverty in history.”
His conviction that “no one should be left behind” is also reflected in his efforts to support poverty alleviation and promote development in Global South countries. “On the path to modernization, no one and no country should be left behind,” said Xi Jinping.
Last week in Bishkek, the Chairman of the PRC called for strengthening cooperation both in traditional and new areas — from trade, investments, connectivity, and energy to artificial intelligence (AI), digital economy, and “green” industries.
In response to the Global South’s aspiration for joint development and modernization, Xi Jinping proposed the Global Development Initiative, which is celebrating its fifth anniversary this year.
Over the past five years, more than 23 billion USD has been raised under this initiative, support has been provided for the implementation of over 1800 “small but socially significant” projects aimed at improving people’s lives, and training programs for more than 200,000 people in various specialties have also been financed.
The chief editor of the newspaper “Delovoy Kazakhstan”, Serik Korzhumbaev, expressed this opinion: “Under the leadership of Xi Jinping, the development concept has acquired a new international dimension and has become part of a broader vision of a community with a shared future for humanity.”
AMPLIFYING THE VOICE OF THE GLOBAL SOUTH
As the role of Global South countries grows stronger, they deserve a more significant voice in international affairs.
At last year’s SCO summit in Tianjin, Xi Jinping put forward the Global Governance Initiative — an important Chinese proposal aimed at creating a fairer and more equitable system of global governance.
At the core of this vision is the conviction that each state occupies its own place and plays an equal role in global governance.
Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized that international affairs should not be determined by the stronger parties. “World affairs should be discussed by all states, and international norms should be established jointly,” he said last week in Bishkek.
“The dominance of a small number of countries in international affairs is a historical injustice, and global governance dictated by one state, a few, or a bloc of countries is not genuine multilateralism,” the Chinese leader believes.
“As an important part of a multipolar world and one of its key driving forces, countries of the Global South should have broader representation and a more significant voice in international affairs,” noted Xi Jinping.
Over the past years, the SCO and BRICS have become the most important platforms where Global South countries can defend their interests, coordinate positions, and strengthen their collective influence.
The growing role of these associations is evident in political coordination. The SCO and BRICS have issued statements on current international and regional issues. For example, in March of this year, the SCO member states made a statement expressing deep concern over the developments in the Middle East and the strikes on Iran.
Xi Jinping also advocates for the improvement of global economic and financial governance. In 2014, he and other leaders of the BRICS countries signed an agreement to establish the New Development Bank, creating a new channel for financing infrastructure and sustainable development in emerging markets and developing countries.
At the SCO summit in Bishkek, the member states once again reaffirmed the importance of establishing the SCO Development Bank.
Now the drive to amplify influence is spreading to new areas that will determine the future. In July of this year, Xi Jinping announced the creation of the Global Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization and called for joining forces to establish a fair and equitable system of global AI governance.
“We need to develop broad international cooperation, assist Global South countries in building their capacity to overcome the digital and intellectual divide, promote sustainable development, and prevent the emergence of a new historical injustice in the field of AI,” stated Xi Jinping.
In addition to the SCO and BRICS, China also promotes the development of cooperation and the expansion of representation of Global South countries within mechanisms such as the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the China-ASEAN Summit.
Xi Jinping has repeatedly stated that China has always been a member of the Global South and will always be part of the developing world.
“Regardless of changes in the international situation, China will always keep the Global South in its heart and have its roots in the Global South,” the Chairman of the PRC once stated.
Please note; This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.