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Global South

Global South
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Global South. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
An oil tanker unloads imported crude at Qingdao port, in China’s eastern Shandong province, on July 16. Photo CN-STR / AFP
China economy

Opinion | China won’t waste its reserves to cushion oil price impact of Iran war

On the contrary, conserving strategic reserves and letting prices spike in the short term may bring long-term benefits.

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Science

China’s AI weather warning system Mazu expanding across Global South

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Artificial intelligence

China AI summit hears Global South needs equal access to avoid digital divide

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Artificial intelligence

Editorial | China’s vision for global AI governance is inclusive

The approach to AI development championed by President Xi at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference stands in contrast to the one adopted by the US.

President Xi Jinping delivers a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the 2026 World AI Conference in Shanghai on July 17. Photo: Xinhua
US-China relations

US-China AI rivalry becomes a battle to export competing tech governance visions

Will the world choose Washington’s market-driven approach or Beijing’s open-source model that aims to be accessible and safe?

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2026 Xi-Trump summits

Formal China-US G2 framework key to world peace: top Beijing adviser

Noted political scientist Zheng Yongnian argues that de facto ‘Group of Two’ structure has already emerged between the rival powers.

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India

Beyond payments: India aims to architect Indonesia’s digital future

A successful digital collaboration with Indonesia could elevate India into ‘a primary architect of its infrastructure’, analysts say.

A customer pays cash to buy vegetables next to a QR code of Paytm, a digital payments firm, on display at a roadside market in Ahmedabad, India, in February 2024. Photo: Reuters
European Union

Opinion | EU should think twice before weaponising its market against China

Market size and coercive leverage are not the same thing and the EU remains more dependent on China than policymakers think.

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Universities in Hong Kong

Letters | Western-centric university rankings overlook Asia’s rise

Readers discuss the Centre for World University Rankings methodology, the plan for bigger flats in Northern Metropolis, and the Bangladeshi PM’s visit to China.

Artificial intelligence

The AI industrial revolution: why US faces a historic tech reckoning from China

From EVs to robotics, China’s advancement in cutting-edge tech has seen it shake off the West’s long-standing belief in US exceptionalism.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
Education

Education powerhouse: China blueprint tackles talent crunch, tech self-reliance

China issues blueprint to strengthen education’s role to respond to fierce global tech rivalry while adapting to falling birth rates.

Children play with a humanoid robot on May 28 in Huaibei, Anhui province. Kindergartens and primary schools are closing while university dormitories remain packed amid falling birth rates – a mismatch that captures the challenge facing China’s education planners. Photo: Getty
China's military weapons

How is China shaping up in the global competition to sell air defence weapons?

After Paris arms fair, analysts expect Chinese systems to do well in the Global South but question their entry into Europe.

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Science

China ‘on track to surpass United States’ in goals for human, planet health: UN

Report showing global progress on 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals shows gap between Chinese and US closed significantly since 2015.

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Hong Kong politics

Opinion | 10 steps Hong Kong can take to make the most of its 5-year plan

Whether it’s fintech, gold trading or investment migration, Hong Kong has a role in supporting the nation’s 15th five-year plan.

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A member of the public collects a copy of the consultation document for Hong Kong’s first five-year plan from the Wan Chai District Office on June 15. Photo: Karma Lo
Malaysia

Malaysia and Asean tap Russia for energy security, defying Western ‘prejudices’

At the Asean-Russia summit in Kazan, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim signalled the bloc’s willingness to engage with Moscow on trade.

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a gala dinner on the sidelines of the Russia-Asean summit in Kazan, Russia, on Wednesday. Photo: Handout/AP
Tibet

Could AI algorithms hold China’s solution for global narrative on Tibet?

More than 300 media professionals, government officials and academics attend international communication-focused conference in Lhasa.

Quadrilateral Security Dialogue

Past failures haunt the Quad’s US$20 billion critical minerals push

The initiative aims to break China’s near-monopoly, but private-sector caution and a history of unfulfilled pledges stand in the way.

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US-China relations

Can China fill funding and leadership gaps after America quit the WHO?

Beijing is now the global health body’s biggest assessed contributor, but its voluntary donations remained low in 2025.

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Illustrator: Victor Sanjinez
China trade

China-led SCO bloc looks to fast-track plan for new bank, rival Western lenders

Member states seek more financial autonomy and localised credit by advancing an effort to fund regional growth using their national currencies, not the US dollar.

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US-China relations

China’s Wang Yi tells UN multilateralism must be protected in swipe at US

Beijing’s top diplomat says ‘world peace and security are in great jeopardy’ and that UN Charter should be safeguarded at all costs.

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China education

‘Natural’ choice: why Unesco’s new STEM education centre is based in Shanghai

China is working with the UN agency to help the world’s least developed countries advance technical education and grow their talent pools.

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President Xi Jinping delivers a speech at the Unesco headquarters in Paris on March 27, 2014. Photo: AFP
US-China relations

Opinion | Boeing went to China to sell planes. Beijing is buying something else

China’s demand for passenger jets is genuine – but so is its aim to build a commercially credible aviation industry.

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US President Donald Trump disembarks from Air Force One on May 13 at Beijing Capital International Airport. Photo: AP
Artificial intelligence

Armed with Nvidia chips, UAE aims to build an AI bridge to the Global South

With its Opec era over, the Gulf state has big post-war ambitions for Africa and beyond, bolstered by elite Nvidia chip deliveries.

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Diplomacy

Outside In | Xi-Trump summit aside, 2 meetings in Asia matter for global trade

As Trump travelled to Beijing for the kind of bilateral dealmaking he prefers, two groups have continued their multilateral efforts.

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Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong urged to shift from role as ‘superconnector’ to ‘value-adder’

Leading think tank urges city to align with national development, diversify growth, boost innovation and deepen supply chain role.

The think tank held a seminar discussing future growth pathways on Friday. Photo: Elson Li
Brics

Opinion | Brics is less a structure than a sentiment

Despite lacking geopolitical alignment, Brics captures a prevailing mood among emerging economies that won’t fade away any time soon.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (left) and President Xi Jinping attend the 2023 Brics Summit at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, on August 24, 2023. Photo: AFP
2026 Xi-Trump summits

After nearly 9 years, Trump is landing in a totally changed China. Is he ready?

China has strengthened its position since the US president’s last visit, analysts said, predicting more equitable results from any potential agreement.

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Diplomacy

Opinion | Just because Brics isn’t a coherent bloc doesn’t mean it’s impotent

The grouping has a future, not as a binding structure demanding policy alignment but as a tool for members to enhance leverage and maximise options.

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