As China grows, it is reshaping how global public goods are delivered

At Davos this year, a familiar but sobering warning echoed through the slopes: the global order is fracturing into closed loops. In Western capitals, “de-risking” remains the dominant keyword, framing the global economy as a series of strategic high walls. Yet, beyond these barriers, a more tangible crisis is unfolding across the Global South. The infrastructure deficit continues to widen, estimated at a staggering US$1.7 trillion annually for Asia alone. This is a crisis of global governance. But beneath the noise of geopolitical friction, a more constructive narrative is taking shape. From the technology behind solar-powered vaccine hubs in rural Nigeria to the birth of pharmaceutical sovereignty in Egypt, China’s growth is proving to be a critical supply-side solution for a system grappling with an immense governance deficit. This shift also represents an evolution in how global public goods are delivered – moving from “giving a man a fish” to “teaching him how to fish”. For too long, the international narrative has been trapped in a zero-sum mindset – the assumption that one country’s rise must mean another’s decline. This mindset often misreads Beijing’s vision of a community with a shared future as a bid for traditional hegemony. But China’s vision reflects a historical DNA that prioritises trade-based connectivity and developmental stability over territorial expansion. In 2026, economic development is no longer elective; it is the bedrock of global systemic stability. Evidence of this shift is undeniable. As we enter 2026, the “electron gap” has surged to the top of the global agenda. We are witnessing a historic collision between the energy-hungry artificial intelligence (AI) revolution and the urgent requirements of the green transition. For many nations, the lack of stable, affordable power is the modern face of poverty. Here, China’s industrial scale – underpinned by clean energy investments that topped US$890 billion in 2023 – effectively functions as a “green” subsidy for the planet. In driving down the cost of solar and wind energy, China has lowered the entry barrier for the entire Global South. It has allowed low-income nations to reach climate and digital targets that were previously fiscal impossibilities. By absorbing the volatile initial costs of innovation, China is addressing a tragedy of the commons that no other power has been willing to finance alone. This price discovery means renewable power is no longer just a luxury for the Global North but a utility for the emerging middle class in the Global South. This is the essence of a global public good. Global health provides another lesson. The early 2020s were defined by vaccine inequality, born out of a model of dependency where the Global South waited for Northern leftovers. Today, we see a structural transformation. China’s role has matured from a crisis-response supplier to a partner in building localised pharmaceutical ecosystems. Strategic hubs in Indonesia, Morocco and Egypt are contributing to a pivot towards true health sovereignty. China is not just shipping vials; it is transferring the mRNA and biomanufacturing expertise required for these nations to build their own factories. Unlike traditional charity models, which often collapsed once donor attention shifted, these hubs are integrated into the host nation’s economic fabric. They create hi-tech jobs and foster local research and development. By empowering nations to manufacture their own essential medicines, China is dismantling old dependency models, ensuring the next crisis does not repeat the inequality of the past. The most significant evolution lies in infrastructure. Concerns over debt transparency and project integrity should be welcomed as catalysts for high-quality development. The revitalisation of the Tazara railway is a prime example. This link between Tanzania and Zambia is no longer a static symbol of 1970s aid. Under a new 30-year concession, the railway is undergoing a massive digital overhaul. The Tazara model represents the ultimate “teaching to fish” strategy. Instead of a simple build-and-transfer model that often left host nations with debt but no operational mastery, this creates a long-term commercial partnership. The Belt and Road Initiative’s introduction of international accounting standards and third-party audits serves as a powerful antidote to the “debt trap” narrative, proving that when projects are managed as sustainable business assets, they become engines of creditworthiness. Technologies such as smart logistics and real-time tracking can offer a “digital silk road” template, moving China’s contribution up the value chain from raw steel to sophisticated trade software. The defining challenge of 2026 is the erosion of collective action. As some powers strategically retreat from global commitments, the priority must be a multilateralism grounded in real-world utility. This shift creates fertile ground for a “co-opetition” between China and Western-led institutions. When China provides the hi-tech, low-cost physical hardware of development – be it rails or solar grids – and multilateral banks provide the traditional regulatory oversight, the Global South wins. This synergy ensures global public goods are not monopolised by one ideology but are delivered through a resilient web of partnerships. We must move beyond the rhetoric of us vs them. The most pragmatic path lies in upholding the international system with the United Nations at its heart. By re-anchoring our efforts in international law, we ensure China’s contributions become regulated global commons. This ensures a shared future becomes a functional reality: a multipolar order where prosperity is a shared heritage for humanity rather than a tool for geopolitical exclusion.

As China grows, it is reshaping how global public goods are delivered

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}When China provides the hi-tech, low-cost hardware of development and multilateral banks provide regulatory oversight, the Global South wins

When China provides the hi-tech, low-cost hardware of development and multilateral banks provide regulatory oversight, the Global South wins