Forum hailed for promoting Global South modernization

Global experts called on countries across the Global South to seek development paths tailored to their own national conditions, strengthen unity and cooperation, and advance reforms to the global governance system.

Speaking at the Global South Modernization Forum held in Beijing on Friday, participants from home and abroad gathered to promote experience sharing and mutual learning among Global South countries in their modernization practices.

Li Shulei, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, said countries of the Global South are reshaping the global economic landscape, emerging as a key force in the transformation of the international order, and injecting stability and positive momentum into global peace and development.

Li pointed out that China's modernization offers a new approach to modernization, marking a significant innovation in the practice of global modernization theory.

"No matter how the international landscape evolves, China will always be a member of the Global South, keep the Global South in our heart, and maintain our roots in the Global South," he said.

The forum, themed "Working Together to Advance Modernization: A Shared Vision and the Path to Development", also featured the release of the World Modernization Development Report and the Chinese Modernization Development Report, both compiled by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS).

Gao Xiang, president of the CASS, said the reports show that Chinese modernization aligns with the broader interests of human development, and that in the process of global modernization, no country or group should be sacrificed for the advancement of others.

The reports emphasized that only modernization rooted in mutual benefit and cooperation can address today's global challenges, and only a path that promotes shared prosperity can advance the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, he said.

Pablo Vommaro, executive director of the Latin American Council of Social Sciences, said that the current global political and economic turbulence has laid bare the limitations of the Western-dominated development model, while highlighting the urgent need for a new civilizational framework.

"The peoples of the Global South should have a genuine voice and a meaningful role in decision-making, ensuring they can participate fully in development processes and chart their own paths toward the future," he said.

"Against this backdrop, China's BRI and Global Governance Initiative offer vital guidance for sustainable and cooperative modernization, serving as a model for the future development of the global governance system," Vommaro said. "Through these initiatives, efforts are being made to promote a more equitable, inclusive, and united international order that advances peace, social equity, and stability."

Andrei Chevelev, former head of the Asia-Pacific Unit, Sector for Priority Africa and External Relations at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, said that the current international governance architecture should undergo necessary reforms to ensure that the voices of the Global South are truly and effectively heard.

"Recent developments, including the expansion of BRICS, deeper cooperation under the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the steady advancement of the Belt and Road Initiative, are all helping to promote a more equitable and balanced international order," Chevelev said. "These mechanisms are not exclusive groupings, but open platforms that create new opportunities for shared development."

He said that China's proactive participation and its growing leadership in global governance reform underscore its transition from a bystander to a key contributor on the international stage.

Sudheendra Kulkarni, founder and chairman of the Forum for a New South Asia, praised China as a vanguard in the modernization of the Global South.

As development and modernization have become universal aspirations, cooperation is most crucial in the creation and application of science and technology, which are key drivers on the path to modernization, he said.

China's approach to modernization prioritizes the well-being of both people and the planet, setting an extraordinary example for the Global South, he added.

The forum was held by the State Council Information Office of China, Party School of the Communist Party of China Central Committee (National Academy of Governance), Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and Peking University.

Contact the writers at yangran1@chinadaily.com.cn