ON A MISSION: President Xi is determined to make the world just, safer and prosperous for all
Chinese President Xi Jinping has rallied the entire Global South to play a protagonist role in the unfolding reconfiguration of the international world order, which he said is “fraught with risks and challenges”.
Speaking during the recent 18th BRICS Summit of the heads of state in the Indian capital, New Delhi, President Xi was unequivocal in rallying the strategic geopolitical bloc to become a catalyst in the remaking of the international landscape whose volatility is palpable.
The opportunity to become the leader of the new world order lies in full purview of the BRICS bloc. In India, BRICS leaders and associate member countries were meeting amid what President Xi described as “acceleration of changes unseen in a century across the world”.
Said President Xi: “As global challenges keep surfacing, we should adopt a holistic approach to address both the symptoms and root causes. Global South countries should jointly advance security governance and tackle both traditional and nontraditional security threats.”
JOYFUL MEETING: BRICS leaders including Presidents Putin, Ramaphosa and PM Modi surround their Chinese counterpart, President Xi, in a jolly mood
In a world characterized by disturbing trend of unilateralism, President Xi highlighted the dire need for BRICS to steer the international community back to the founding principle of the UN Charter, which is multilateralism.
He said: “Global South countries should hold high the banner of multilateralism, uphold the authority and role of the United Nations, support multilateral institutions in advancing reform and increasing efficiency, and ensure the equal participation of all countries in international affairs.”
In the words of President Xi, he further said: “The logic of ‘might makes right’ does not hold, and should have been discarded long ago. Global South countries should jointly defend the rule of law in international affairs, safeguard the basic norms of international relations including sovereign equality, non-interference in internal affairs, and ensure that international law and international rules are applied to all, free from double standards.”
President Xi also urged BRICS to “seize the historical initiative”, thereby emphasizing the huge opportunity for the Global South to become the leader of a new, just and equitable world order. “Fairness and justice are a universal aspiration, and international rules must be written by all countries,” said President Xi.
The new role for the Global South – also referred to in international diplomacy as the Majority World – “is to become an active, stabilizing and positive force in international affairs, and advance the well-being of all humanity”.
President Xi’s choice of words was unmistakable intentional. The days of a dormant Global South acting as if it does not represent the aspirations of more than half the population of the world are over.
For far too long the Majority World has suffered Western subjugation in various forms, including historical slavery and colonialism. The new era has dawned, and BRICS must assume the leadership of the global community with exemplary humanity where all human beings and nations will be treated equally before international law. President Xi explained: “All countries, regardless of their size, strength of wealth, are equal members of the international community.”
This is a new Struggle, a revolution to rejuvenate the vastly impoverished nations of the Global South, who are still reeling from the effects and legacy of colonialism and its related dark practices.
But instead of wallowing in self-pity, and lamenting unjust historical past, President Xi wants the Global South to act as a collective of a liberated bloc, free to express its innovative ways and spreading harmonious spirit of shared humanity and future throughout a world desperate for a reboot.
“A world without rules is like a crossroads without traffic lights, where chaos and disorder are all but guaranteed,” President Xi said.
President Xi is more than qualified to steer the Global South toward a new dawn, a new beginning that should cause the rest of world to pause and take note.
China’s role in international affairs is nothing short of remarkable, and stunning. The economic prosperity of the People’s Republic of China has resulted in more than 800 million people pulled out of poverty. This triggered the UN to applaud China, and Beijing’s model of economic rejuvenation continues to serve as a shining beacon of international development for all to learn from.
“To achieve great things, one should always put the people first. Global South countries should stay committed to a people-centred development philosophy and strive to deliver on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” according to President Xi.
As part of the global technological development, President Xi offered China to be a pioneer in “establishing a BRICS AI open-source community, support the cooperation in developing and applying large language models, hold specialized AI seminars and training courses, and build an open ecosystem for AI”.
In addition to cooperation in technological development, President Xi has offered China’s leadership in trade and investment, digital industry cooperation, intelligent manufacturing as well as science and technology talent development initiative.
These are the fundamental tools of modernization needed in international development. That President Xi remains intentional in sharing the know-how, expertise and experience in various fields that have catapulted China into the world’s second largest economy should be applauded.
Indeed, the time has come for the Global South to seize the moment, the opportunity, as President Xi proposes – to provide a more human face to cantankerous global affairs. In this way, through BRICS as a catalyst in the global governance system – and China at the centre – the world would experience less conflict, and international law would be respected, and multilateralism restored.
VISIONARY: President Xi has proposed new paths to a new world order led by the Global South
