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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.
Illustration: Henry Wong
US-China relations

Opinion | What trap? US-China relations show conflict is far from inevitable

The Thucydides Trap that has dominated debate for a decade is a poor fit for reality. Beijing and Washington are both showing they can share the stage without drifting into war.

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Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong to close deals with firms from strategic sectors in months: Paul Chan

United States

My Take | How Beijing is neutralising Washington’s sanctions machine

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US-China relations

Why Xi Jinping skipped the UN after his Trump summit

China touts multilateralism and growing soft power even as Beijing gives greater weight to its relationship with Washington.

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Chinese Vice-President Han Zheng addresses the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York on Saturday. Photo: AP
China-Latin America relations

Exclusive | China-based Brics bank set for hunger alliance lead role this year, Brazil says

Brazilian minister Wellington Dias tells SCMP a fund to cut borrowing costs for the poor may launch by December as US marginalises the G20.

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Hong Kong economy

Xi-Trump summit: Hong Kong’s Paul Chan predicts positive market response

Local business representatives expect that greater stability in bilateral ties may reinforce the city’s role as a connector between markets.

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China exports

China has scrapped two-thirds of its planned coal power plants abroad: report

The cutbacks have saved 6.4 billion tonnes of potential carbon emissions, though campaign’s momentum slowed last year, report finds.

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Women sit on a hill overlooking a coal power plant in Indonesia. The country is a hotspot for Chinese energy investment. Photo: AP
Indonesia

Can Indonesia speak for the Global South in its UN Security Council bid?

Jakarta wants a fifth term on the council, but faces accusations of hypocrisy and being a ‘fence-sitter’, analysts say.

US-China relations

Opinion | Success of Xi-Trump summit lies in what happens afterwards

The real value of the Washington meeting between the presidents of the US and China is whether its understandings survive the next bilateral dispute.

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2026 Xi-Trump summits

In Focus | Analysts tip a stronger hand for China ahead of Xi-Trump summit in Washington

Chinese confidence could be boosted by US push to make progress on its war on Iran and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, experts say.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
Vladimir Putin

Opinion | Why the Global South keeps its doors wide open to Russia

Far from being isolated, Moscow’s relationships across the non-Western world are a geopolitical constant the West cannot break.

Russian President Vladimir Putin waves while boarding a plane upon his departure from India on September 13. Photo: Kremlin/Sputnik/EPA
India

India scores Brics win with joint declaration despite divides

New Delhi ‘papered over’ differences to keep the bloc focused on trade and tech priorities, analysts say.

Brics

Xi touts Brics cooperation on AI as US titans flag tech risks

China’s President Xi Jinping promoted an AI ‘community’ at a Brics summit, while US industry leaders backed the idea of slowing the technology’s development.

China trade

Kazakhstan to launch QR payments with China, expanding yuan’s reach in retail

Planned launch follows existing cooperation between super apps Alipay and Kaspi.kz, letting travellers use home-country app at certain merchants without exchanging cash.

A man demonstrates in April how a QR code is used to make a retail payment with the Alipay app in Indonesia. Kazakhstan now plans to launch QR-code payments with China by the end of this year. Photo: Xinhua
China’s Communist Party

China’s intelligence chief warns of risks from AI in hands of ‘hostile forces’

State data, business secrets and personal privacy are at stake, State Security Minister Chen Yixin warns as he calls for stronger safeguards.

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Chen Yixin has called to establish "a fair and open international AI rules system”. Photo: Weibo
Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong to deepen ties with Global South and Middle East, finance chief says

Financial Secretary Paul Chan says city will build ‘networked, institutionalised’ links with emerging economies, from green finance to research and development.

India

Brics summit ends with Xi’s AI offer, Modi’s warning on critical minerals

Bloc united on US curbs but Xi Jinping’s open-source AI pitch and India’s warning on weaponised tech reveal internal friction, analysts say.

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Brics

Under Trump’s shadow, Brics takes step towards de-dollarisation

New Delhi Declaration pushes for cheaper and faster payments system and takes aim at sanctions and unilateral tariffs.

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Leaders of Brics member states pose for a photo in New Delhi on Saturday. From left to right: Brazil Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, United Arab Emirates’ Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali. Photo: Indian Foreign Ministry via AP
China-India relations

Xi tells Modi of China and India’s ‘responsibilities’ as Global South powers

Leaders meet on sidelines of Brics summit in New Delhi; Indian statement says they reaffirmed that ‘differences should not become disputes’.

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Brics

Editorial | Brics summit could emerge as milestone in bloc’s unity

The expected meeting between the leaders of China and India on the sidelines of the multilateral summit bodes well for stability in Asia.

Diplomacy

Opinion | The Global South cannot afford to let its maritime border disputes fester

Cambodia’s compulsory conciliation with Thailand under UN sea law shows how international law can deliver peaceful outcomes before tensions boil over.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
US-China relations

As clock counts down to Trump summit, Xi boosts global clout with diplomatic blitz

Beijing leverages Eurasian and Middle East ties to show Washington it has alternatives.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, wave as they board a plane at the end of their visit to Cairo, Egypt on Wednesday, September 2. Photo: Egyptian Presidential Press Office via AP
China-Middle East relations

Xi makes world tour ahead of White House summit

Chinese President Xi Jinping is meeting leaders from across the Global South ahead of a probable summit with US leader Donald Trump.

Xi Jinping

Xi Jinping calls on SCO members to team up for bigger global tech-security role

The world is at a crossroads and the group should shoulder its responsibility, Chinese president says at Bishkek summit.

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China-India relations

Asian Angle | India-China ties are warming, the time to capitalise is now

The post-Galwan freeze is over. Rebuilding economic dialogue offers both nations a win-win path forward.

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Wang Yi, China's top diplomat, and Ajit Doval, India's national security adviser, meet in Beijing on Tuesday. Photo: Xinhua
Diplomacy

Opinion | China’s multilateral pitch is finding an audience

Beijing’s push for global cooperation is clearly self-interested, but even US allies in the West can see the benefits of multilateralism.

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President Xi Jinping, right, shakes hands with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez during a meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on April 11, 2025. Photo: EPA-EFE
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation

China event asks if Apec’s rules can close growing AI gap between rich and poor

Conference hears that the bloc’s flexible structure could help in developing a fairer regulatory system.

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The Philippines

Philippines stakes claim as Latin America’s gateway to Asean

Shared history offers an edge, but analysts say the Philippines must deliver more than nostalgia to rival Singapore or Vietnam.

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