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.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (centre) with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (right) and European Council President Antonio Costa at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on January 27. Photo: European Council/dpa
India

India’s trade blitz seeks to keep a sinking global order afloat

‘Jolted out of its slumber’ by US tariffs, New Delhi is aggressively diversifying trade alliances to act as a bridge in a polarised world.

Artificial intelligence

Opinion | How ‘ghost workers’ stand at the crossroads of AI development

videocam
US-China relations

Opinion | Beijing must be clear-eyed about its national interests abroad

videocam
Trade

Opinion | The India-EU trade pact is a rebuke of US economic coercion

Beyond trade liberalisation, the partnership will weaken Washington’s ability to use tariffs as leverage and dictate the rules of global economic engagement.

From the left, European Council President Antonio Costa, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen raise their joined hands at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on January 27. Photo: Handout via dpa
US-China relations

Opinion | How the world can design a new trade architecture

Even as the US overhauls world trade norms, China’s quiet but influential role in redefining globalisation is impossible to ignore.

China economy

Opinion | How a rising China is becoming a provider of global public goods

When China provides the hi-tech, low-cost hardware of development and multilateral banks provide regulatory oversight, the Global South wins.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Indonesia

Peace or chaos? Indonesia’s participation in Trump-led board stirs debate

Critics say the decision runs contrary to Jakarta’s support for Palestine and decades-old foreign policy strategy of multilateralism.

videocam
US President Donald Trump (left) talks to Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto at the “Board of Peace” meeting in Davos on Thursday. Photo: AFP
Indonesia

‘Resilience’ is Indonesia’s new foreign policy buzzword, but is it just rhetoric?

Analysts warn the vague concept lacks a long-term strategy and risks Jakarta drifting from its non-aligned values into transactional deals.

videocam
China-Latin America relations

Xi, Lula stress UN’s value in call as US actions unsettle regional diplomacy

China reaffirms commitment to international law, negotiated diplomacy in region, while Brazil eases visa requirements for Chinese nationals.

videocam
8
Diplomacy

Opinion | Why so many states reject bloc rivalry to choose partnership with China

It’s a calculated choice to keep growth, infrastructure momentum and policy space alive in a world that punishes the economically exposed.

videocam
African Union Commission chairman Mahmoud Ali Youssouf welcomes Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on January 8. Photo: Handout from African Union via EPA
European Union

Opinion | In the tech race, Europe can choose a path that sidesteps US-China rivalry

To avoid technological marginalisation, Europe can play to its strengths by focusing on deployment standards instead of the US-China rivalry.

A participant interacts with a robot at the AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva, Switzerland, on July 7, 2023. Photo: Xinhua
Brics

Could the Iran crisis push Global South blocs to deepen security ties?

A lack of response from the SCO and Brics could have a negative impact on the groups – but the crisis could also bring them closer.

videocam
24
China trade

China pledges green-energy push with Global South, signals wider market opening

Sixth entry in Communist Party mouthpiece’s editorial series calls domestic market ‘world’s rarest resource’, vows supply-chain support to aid industrialisation.

US-Venezuela conflict

The US, Venezuela and why China is even less keen on talk of a G2

Beijing may seize on growing distrust of Washington and pitch itself to Global South as the more stable power, observers say.

videocam
18
Deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro arrives for a US court hearing in New York on Monday after being forcibly removed from power on Saturday. Photo: Reuters
Donald Trump

US’ Asian allies reluctant to slam Trump’s ‘cowboy tactics’ against Venezuela

These countries fear the consequences of criticising the US, particularly given Trump’s willingness to use the tariff threat in trade talks.

videocam
5
Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in handcuffs after landing at a helipad in New York, escorted by US federal agents on Monday. Photo: TNS
Climate change

Opinion | How China quietly became the world’s climate policy leader

For better or worse, the future of climate action will be shaped as much by Beijing’s relentless pragmatism as by Western ideals.

Diplomacy

Letters | China’s Latin America policy paper speaks language of multipolarity

Readers discuss why Beijing’s outreach to the region should not be seen as a challenge to Washington, the HK$2 subsidised transport fare for the elderly, and Hong Kong’s New Year countdown.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
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.

Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
European Union

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

Consumed by Ukraine, the EU has effectively retreated from global engagement. An urgent foreign policy recalibration is needed.

US-China relations

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

Chinese scholar Wang Jisi warns that current world order with ‘two superpowers and many strong powers’ faces growing risk of conflict.

5
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.

videocam
4
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.

videocam
A woman walks her daughter to school in Eikenhof, South Africa, on August 24, 2020. Photo: Reuters
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.

videocam
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.

videocam
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.

videocam
Illustration: Victor Sanjinez
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.

videocam
Illustration: Craig Stephens
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.

videocam
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.

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