Advertisement
Advertisement
TOPIC
 / location

Global South

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

videocam
21
Education

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

China's military weapons

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

videocam
19
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.

videocam
25
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.

videocam
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.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
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.

videocam
11
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.

videocam
10
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.

videocam
Flags wave outside the Tianjin Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Centre during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin on September 1. Photo: AFP
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.

videocam
10
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks to reporters at the United Nations headquarters in New York on Tuesday. Photo: AP
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.

16
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.

videocam
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.

videocam
The Dubai skyline featuring the Burj Khalifa. The UAE’s AI strategy is structured around deep, capital-intensive investments and the development and export of large language models to underserved markets. Photo: EPA-EFE
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.

videocam
US tech bosses and officials attend a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 14 as US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping arrive. Photo: AP
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.

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.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
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.

videocam
50
Illustration: Henry Wong
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.

videocam
5
United States

Opinion | Thanks to Trump, the gloves are off. There may be no new global order

With the UN, IMF and World Bank mired in old power structures, universities could be the platform to shape how the global future unfolds.

videocam
Science

Will Iran war threaten next harvest? Which countries are most at risk?

As the Hormuz blockade cuts off vital agricultural inputs, Food and Agriculture Organization official views China as key food security partner.

videocam
Blockades in the Strait of Hormuz have sent the price of urea – a widely used nitrogen-based fertiliser – soaring in the US and Brazil, according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization. Photo: Handout via Reuters
US-China relations

Opinion | How US tech hegemony is locking out the Global South

The world deserves better than a monopoly that builds walls and hobbles development.

videocam
4
Illustration: Craig Stephens
Middle East

Letters | UAE’s Opec exit reflects a complex world

Readers discuss the UAE’s decision to leave the oil cartel, and a Vietnamese leader’s choice to travel twice on China’s high-speed trains.

2026 Xi-Trump summits

China’s UN envoy blasts US ‘bullying’ as sanctions widen before Trump-Xi talks

Curbs tied to Iran and a fragile ceasefire cast a shadow over the leaders’ planned Beijing summit as tensions between the powers mount.

videocam
47
China economy

Outside In | China’s manufacturing rise is here to stay. The West must recalibrate

The changes are structural and protectionism will only weaken long-term growth.

videocam
Robots work on production lines at a mould and stamping company in Fuzhou, in China’s eastern Fujian province, on April 16. Photo: AFP
Diplomacy

Opinion | A world adrift looks to China for institutional anchors. Enter Hong Kong

Amid talk of cities like Beijing and Shanghai hosting UN functions as the US withdraws, Hong Kong must ensure it is part of the conversation.

videocam
Illustration: Craig Stephens
US-China relations

US lawmakers warn China is top space rival as race to the moon intensifies

Beijing is using space for ‘diplomacy and influence’, US lawmakers claim amid growing competition with Washington.

videocam
24
South Korea

Why South Korea’s Lee is urging ‘mutual respect’ diplomacy amid US tensions

The president’s remarks and emphasis on a self-reliant defence posture may signal Seoul’s efforts to diversify its global partners, analysts say.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement