Shanghai Party Secretary Chen Jining said on Dec 4 that the city will play a larger role in its cooperation with the nations of the Global South by deepening economic partnerships, enhancing people-to-people exchanges, and working together toward modernization.

Chen made the remarks at the opening ceremony of the Third Global South Think Tanks Dialogue, themed "Seeking Strength through Unity: Responsibility and Action of the Global South".

The event brought together around 350 participants, including political party leaders and think-tank scholars from more than 120 countries.

Shanghai's role

As China's leading economic center and a pioneering window of reform and opening-up, Shanghai has been a witness, participant, and driving force in Global South cooperation, Chen said.

Chen noted that modernization is both a common aspiration for the Global South and a process that seeks the free and well-rounded development of individuals. "Different civilizations are fully capable of thriving together based on equality and mutual learning," he stressed.

Shared growth

Liu Haixing, head of the International Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, highlighted the country's commitment to working with nations of the Global South to pursue modernization, saying that a more developed China with even greater openness will further enhance the confidence and capacity of more nations to seek strength through solidarity and cooperation to achieve modernization.

Noting the mounting risks and challenges arising from the rapid evolution of the international landscape, Liu said that China is willing to join hands with the countries of the Global South to shoulder the responsibility of the times and take active steps to advance modernization efforts.

Liu called for implementing the Global Development Initiative to achieve shared growth. "The prosperity and stability of the world cannot be built on the basis of the poor becoming poorer and the rich becoming richer. We should place development at the core of the international agenda, actively build an open world economy, and share opportunities through openness for win-win results, thereby realizing modernization together," he said.

The fourth plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee in October adopted the recommendations for formulating the country's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), which highlight China's support for the Global South in building strength through unity as well as its commitment to stepping up aid to other countries and providing the world with more public goods — a message that China sends to the world that it will continue contributing to the modernization process of the Global South.

Modernization for all

Bhokin Bhalakula, former president of the National Assembly of Thailand and president of the Thai-Chinese Culture and Economy Association, noted the milestone significance of the fourth plenary session, saying that it reaffirmed China's firm commitment to modernization and inclusive global cooperation.

He said the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, especially as it enters a new stage of high-quality cooperation, has brought tangible changes to Southeast Asia, with noticeable achievements ranging from cross-border railways and digital infrastructure to energy cooperation and educational exchanges.

For example, the China-Laos Railway is not just a simple transportation route, but rather, it is a bridge to prosperity, he said, adding that the development of Thailand's Eastern Economic Corridor is strongly supported by Chinese investment and industrial cooperation, particularly in key areas such as smart logistics, electric vehicles, and biotechnology.

Mutale Nalumango, vice-president of the United Party for National Development and vice-president of Zambia, emphasized the significance of China's modernization process to the world, particularly to the development of relations between China and Africa, as well as between China and Zambia.

She expressed her country's support for the four global initiatives proposed by President Xi Jinping — the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative, and the Global Governance Initiative.

"We strongly support these initiatives, knowing that peace, security, and regional stability are a symbol of our efforts to create a shared interest in the future we want, a shared responsibility of how we should create the future, and a guarantee for us to share the benefits of the future we create," Nalumango said.

It is crucial that the Global South countries strengthen cooperation to promote sustainable development and build a more equitable international order, she added.

Sources: China Daily, WeChat account of the General Office of the Shanghai Municipal People's Government "shanghaifabu"