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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.
Vessels transit the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas in southern Iran on Monday. Photo: AFP
India

Can India and China rally Brics to ease Strait of Hormuz tensions?

Analysts say a unified Brics could support Oman-led talks for a resolution and provide an alternative to US diplomacy.

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China-India relations

Why Beijing struggles to win Indian hearts and minds despite diplomatic thaw

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US-China relations

In Focus | Race for UN top job enters final stage: choice may ‘make or break’ bloc

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China trade

Opinion | China’s exports feed the Global South’s industrial engines

Far from stifling development, China’s export portfolio indicates a positive-sum diffusion of industrial growth.

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Illustration: Kaliz Lee
Artificial intelligence

Editorial | US aims to dominate AI but China’s open-source approach is unstoppable

Washington’s fear of China’s rapid AI progress is evident in US officials trotting out tired accusations and threatening sanctions.

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Hong Kong economy

Editorial | Boosting trade with the Global South makes sense for Hong Kong

To help local and national firms go global, Hong Kong’s statutory trade office should foster links in regions with untapped opportunities.

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Japan

Japan courts India, Malaysia to escape US-China AI duopoly

Fears over foreign software curbs have pushed Tokyo to pitch its own tech to Asian partners and others.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attend an economic forum in New Delhi on July 2. Photo: Kyodo
Artificial intelligence

Opinion | China’s AI vision gives the Global South a seat at the table

A new global AI body gives Beijing the platform to push for affordable access and technological autonomy, framing AI as a public good.

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Artificial intelligence

China, long seen as the world’s factory, is now building AI ‘token factories’

The surge in compute capacity underpins Beijing’s ambition to establish itself as a national ‘AI highland’.

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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An oil tanker unloads imported crude at Qingdao port, in China’s eastern Shandong province, on July 16. Photo CN-STR / AFP
Science

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

The system has been designed to provide ‘tailored’ services that help developing countries better prepare for extreme weather events.

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The weather warning system on display at the World AI Conference in Shanghai last week. Photo: Getty Images
Artificial intelligence

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

Delegates at the World AI Conference in Shanghai warn fragmentation risks isolating emerging markets and concentrating advanced computing in rich economies.

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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.

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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President Xi Jinping joins attendees for a group photo before the opening ceremony of the World AI Conference in China on Friday. Photo: Reuters
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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Zheng Yongnian is dean of the school of public policy at Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and heads the Institute of International Affairs, Qianhai. Photo: China News Service via Getty Images
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.

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.

People take photos near a John Harvard statue on the Harvard University campus in January 2024. Photo: AP
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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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.

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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Eurosam’s SAMP/T NG on display at the Eurosatory defence fair in Paris. Photo: Seong Hyeon Choi
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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According to UN data on its Sustainable Development Goals, China has achieved "no poverty" and quality education while the US has achieved the target for industry, innovation and infrastructure. Photo: AFP
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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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.

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.

This week’s second Xizang International Communication Conference took place in Lhasa, capital of China’s western autonomous region. Photo: Xinhua
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 Secretary of State Marco Rubio holds a press conference during the Critical Minerals Ministerial meeting at the State Department in February. Photo: Reuters
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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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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