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Global South
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Global South. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
China’s soft power

From Labubu to blockbuster films, was 2025 the year of China’s soft power?

Chinese lifestyle brands and other cultural exports proved to be a hit around the world this year, here are some of our most notable stories.

European Union

Opinion | As Doha Forum made clear, Europe is losing its seat at the table

US-China relations

Beyond bipolar: why China-US rivalry defies the Cold War model

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China technology

Opinion | Why the Global South is embracing Chinese AI

The US champions AI as an autonomous agent, a content creator. China exports a vision of AI as a digital nervous system for the real economy.

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The Chinese approach, forged in the fires of domestic industrial competition, views AI as “relational infrastructure”: a connective tissue for physical systems. It is designed to get its hands dirty, such as in mining, ports and factories. Photo: Adobe Stock
Africa

Opinion | How China can help Africa build human capital

To truly harness their potential, countries across the continent seeking to industrialise must develop education and infrastructure in tandem.

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Banking & finance

Opinion | How yuan internationalisation is helping to close the climate finance gap

Through fast-growing markets for yuan-denominated bonds, China is showing it can support sustainability projects across the Global South.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

Opinion | Battery revolution set to spark Global South’s century of prosperity

The rise of the sodium-ion battery promises to supercharge a green energy transition that will help level the global playing field.

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Workers inspect solar panels, an increasingly popular sustainable energy option for homes and businesses to generate electricity, in Mosul, Iraq, on July 9. Photo: Reuters
Open Questions series

Open Questions | Ex-PLA colonel on Taiwan, the Ukraine war, China-US ties

Zhou Bo ponders Japanese PM Takaichi’s recent remarks, lessons from the Ukraine conflict and why China won’t be world’s policeman.

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Diplomacy

Opinion | Why next year’s G20 could be make or break for global development

As the US prepares to chair the G20, it faces a strategic choice: engage or revert to a narrower agenda.

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Climate change

Opinion | China’s quiet climate leadership offers hope for Global South and world

The Global North is failing to deliver on its climate pledges while Beijing patiently lays the groundwork for a greener future.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Diplomacy

China view wins out at global summits as US stays home

Cop30 and the G20 both saw China-backed multilateralism win the day, as US boycotts further eroded Washington’s global leadership.

Photo: AFP
China-India relations

India, China align on climate at Cop30 as ties thaw

Analysts say pairing China’s cleantech prowess with India’s energy needs has the potential to redefine Asia’s decarbonisation trajectory.

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China economy

Opinion | The rise of a Beijing-led ‘Global South Consensus’

As the Global South seeks a better development model and China looks for alternatives to mature markets, a match made out of mutual need is emerging.

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Belt and Road Initiative

China has lent more to US than any other country since 2000, report finds

China’s lending has been ‘vastly’ larger – and far more skewed towards developed countries – than previously assumed, AidData study finds.

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A Chinese flag flies from a ship at the Port of Oakland in California. China has lent far more to the United States in recent years than previously understood, a new AidData study has found. Photo: AP
Banking & finance

Opinion | Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai: the rise of the ‘family office triangle’

The Asian century will not be written by governments alone but by family offices that can turn opportunity into enduring prosperity.

A woman walks on the Peak, with Hong Kong’s skyline in the background, on February 4. Photo: Sam Tsang
China's military weapons

China displays latest UAV and fighter jets at the Middle East’s largest air show

Full-scale model of Wing Loong-X UAV makes first defence exhibition appearance outside the mainland as Beijing promotes aviation products.

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Climate change

Opinion | A global green industrialisation initiative can have a ‘win-win-win’ outcome

China’s green manufacturing capacity could be aligned with the West’s technological and capital strengths and the Global South’s development needs.

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Climate change

Editorial | As the US sits out Cop30, China and others must pick up the slack

Technology and investment partnerships, especially among developing nations, could reinvigorate efforts to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

Indigenous leaders gather in the Cop30 Village during the UN Climate Change Conference in Belem, Brazil on November 12. Photo: Reuters
Ukraine war

Opinion | Only a multipolar coalition can secure Ukraine peace

To move forward, negotiations must be conducted on the basis of security guarantees that reflect today’s geopolitical realities.

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Diplomacy

Opinion | China is supporting multilateralism one institution at a time

With a new organisation to promote mediation, among other global bodies, China is signalling its enthusiasm to get more involved in world governance.

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India

‘Reason to be together’: India, Brazil boost ties amid US tariff tensions

Cooperation in ‘complementary strengths’ such as green energy could help advance efforts to limit global warming, observers say.

Employees inspect solar panels installed at a food processing plant in Greater Noida. India and Brazil have agreed to raise bilateral trade and expand cooperation in sectors spanning automobiles, IT, clean energy and agriculture. Photo: AFP
China's economic recovery

Open Questions | Liu Qian on Chinese innovation, the US rivalry and women holding up half the sky

Economist, business executive advocates looking beyond geopolitics, avoiding policy pitfalls and building a culture that celebrates success.

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez Garcia
Brics

Opinion | Brics is slowly but surely chipping away at US dollar dominance

US dollar supremacy isn’t going away any time soon. But through scaling up of initiatives and good governance, Brics can usher in a multipolar monetary order.

China economy

Opinion | China’s WTO concession only marks phase one of a protracted campaign

In one move, Beijing gets to disarm Washington of a rhetorical weapon while maintaining the mantle of leadership within the Global South.

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Diplomacy

US retreat from UN may create ‘tremendous opportunity’ for nations like China

Global body is at a crossroads, and observers say a ‘leaderless’ era could emerge during second Trump administration.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
US-China relations

China stakes a claim on the future with sci-fi and speculative fiction

Liu Cixin’s Three-Body trilogy and other Chinese works may challenge the West’s projection of capitalist society in fiction, experts say.

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Speculative fiction, cited in 2022 by the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology as useful for promoting science engagement, has become an important platform to showcase China’s soft power. Photo: Xinhua
Fashion

Redress takes circular fashion advocacy to the UN, spotlighting Asia’s role

The Hong Kong NGO’s founder and CEO, Christina Dean, moderated a New York panel of young designers pioneering eco-friendly design practices.

United Nations

Opinion | Why China’s global initiatives represent the reform the UN needs

If the institution cannot reconcile the Global North’s hypocrisy with the legitimate demands of the Global South, its relevance will wither.

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