标签： Asia

The year 2025 has witnessed mounting strain on global governance systems due to escalating geopolitical tensions, institutional inertia, and widening development disparities. Against this backdrop, the Global South is increasingly positioned to strengthen solidarity among developing nations, with China poised to play a pivotal role in advancing inclusive development, people-centered governance, and a more equitable international framework, according to expert analyses.

The foundation for this transformation was significantly reinforced during the 3rd Voice of Global South Summit in 2024, which convened 134 member states of the Group of 77 plus China, representing approximately 80% of the world’s population. Under the guiding principle of ‘leaving no one behind,’ participants acknowledged the distinctive requirements and capabilities of developing nations while emphasizing enhanced South-South cooperation across critical domains including industrialization, trade, investment, climate action, poverty reduction, and digital transformation.

A May 2025 report from the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation documented the Global South’s pursuit of viable solutions within an increasingly complex landscape characterized by shifting geopolitical dynamics, economic volatility, and environmental challenges. Despite economic growth in certain developing regions, persistent debt vulnerabilities, trade disruptions, and inflationary pressures continue to impede progress toward Sustainable Development Goals.

Professor Evandro Menezes de Carvalho of Brazil’s Fluminense Federal University noted that the Global South’s growing influence is helping rebalance the historical dominance of Western powers within institutions like the United Nations, International Monetary Fund, and World Bank. ‘Many Global South countries are experiencing rapid economic growth, broadening global economic leadership beyond traditional Western economies,’ Carvalho stated, highlighting how initiatives such as BRICS and the New Development Bank are reducing reliance on Western-dominated financial systems.

Professor Mammo Muchie of South Africa’s Tshwane University of Technology emphasized that global governance stands at a historic turning point where multilateral cooperation and shared development have become more urgent than ever. ‘Since the Cold War’s conclusion, deepening globalization and the collective rise of emerging market economies have gradually reshaped the international balance of power,’ Muchie observed, noting that developing countries have gained substantial influence in global affairs while new mechanisms including BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and ASEAN continue gaining prominence.

In a significant diplomatic development, Pakistan and China have jointly called for concrete, demonstrable measures to eradicate terrorist networks operating from Afghan territory. This demand was formalized in a joint statement released following high-level talks between Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on December 4.

The bilateral statement emphasized that terrorist organizations based in Afghanistan continue to represent a severe threat to regional and global security. Both nations stressed the critical importance of preventing Afghan soil from being utilized as a launchpad for militant activities against other countries.

China specifically commended Pakistan’s comprehensive counterterrorism efforts, particularly highlighting the protection of Chinese citizens and infrastructure associated with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). This massive infrastructure project, part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, employs thousands of Chinese workers and engineers developing transportation links between China’s Xinjiang region and Pakistan’s Gwadar port.

The diplomatic pressure follows increased regional tensions, including a suicide car bombing in 2024 that killed five Chinese nationals in northwest Pakistan. Pakistan has consistently accused Afghanistan’s Taliban government of providing sanctuary to the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has been responsible for escalating attacks within Pakistan since 2021.

Despite the Taliban’s assurances that Afghan territory isn’t used for cross-border attacks, tensions peaked in early October when Pakistan conducted airstrikes against alleged TTP hideouts in Afghanistan, resulting in dozens of casualties. Afghanistan retaliated with attacks on Pakistani military positions, leading to significant casualties on both sides. While Qatar brokered a temporary ceasefire in Doha, subsequent talks in Istanbul failed to produce substantial diplomatic breakthroughs.

India’s Supreme Court has upheld the continued detention of two prominent Muslim student activists, Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, rejecting their bail applications in a controversial conspiracy case connected to the nation’s deadliest religious violence outbreak in decades. The justices determined that both individuals occupied a “qualitatively different footing” compared to other defendants in the same investigation, citing their alleged central involvement in orchestrating the February 2020 Delhi riots that resulted in 53 fatalities, predominantly within the Muslim community.

The court acknowledged the significant delay in trial proceedings but maintained that this circumstance alone did not justify granting pretrial release. The violence erupted during extensive protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act of 2019, legislation widely criticized for its perceived discriminatory provisions against Muslims. Khalid and Imam emerged as leading voices in these demonstrations, which represented one of the most substantial challenges to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist administration.

Their continued incarceration under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act—a stringent anti-terrorism statute increasingly deployed against government critics—has drawn international condemnation. Recent expressions of concern from eight U.S. lawmakers joined previous criticisms from human rights organizations alleging systematic suppression of dissent. Amnesty International characterized Khalid’s imprisonment as emblematic of justice system derailment and a broader pattern of repressing freedom of expression.

Notably, the prosecution argued that the defendants deliberately engineered violence to damage India’s global reputation, while defense attorneys maintained the complete absence of credible evidence connecting their clients to the riots. This case occurs alongside numerous similar prosecutions of Muslim individuals following the Delhi violence, some of which have collapsed due to insufficient evidence.

A profound ecological transformation is underway along China’s Yangtze River, where former fishermen have become guardians of the nation’s ‘mother river.’ In Hukou county, Jiangxi province, a 16-member patrol team led by 58-year-old Shu Yin’an vigilantly monitors the confluence of the Yangtze and Poyang Lake, protecting endangered finless porpoises and combating illegal fishing activities.

Shu’s personal journey mirrors the river’s remarkable turnaround. ‘My family relied on fishing for generations,’ he recalled, ‘but overfishing devastated the ecosystem until we could scarcely survive.’ His concern that future generations might never witness fish in the Yangtze prompted him to join the patrol team when it formed in 2017.

This transformation stems from President Xi Jinping’s strategic vision initiated at the first Yangtze River Economic Belt symposium in Chongqing on January 5, 2016. Xi established a groundbreaking principle: ‘Restoring the ecological environment of the Yangtze River should be an overriding priority. We must focus on joint protection and avoid excessive development.’

The implementation of this vision has been systematic and comprehensive. In 2020, a decade-long fishing ban took effect in key waters, transitioning over 230,000 fishermen like Shu to new livelihoods with government support. The 2016 master plan formally embedded ‘ecological priority, green development’ as foundational principles, marking a fundamental shift from industrial expansion at environmental expense.

Tangible results emerge across the river basin. Chongqing’s Guangyang Isle, once threatened by massive real estate projects covering 3 million square meters, has undergone comprehensive ecological restoration since 2017. The island now welcomes returning residents and tourists alike, demonstrating successful environmental rehabilitation.

Chemical pollution, which President Xi described as leaving the river ‘seriously ill’ in 2018, has been systematically addressed. One notable case involved a major chemical company fined 27 million yuan ($3.86 million) in 2016—the largest environmental penalty in the basin’s history. The company subsequently invested 100 million yuan in advanced pollution control facilities, achieving both environmental remediation and industrial upgrading.

Over the past decade, President Xi has conducted approximately 30 inspection tours along the Yangtze and chaired four pivotal symposiums to steer the economic belt’s development. The strategy has evolved into a multidimensional framework encompassing high-quality development, innovation-driven growth, and regional coordination.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), the Yangtze River Economic Belt—contributing nearly half of China’s GDP and hosting over 40% of its population—has emerged as a national model for high-quality development. The region has strengthened its technological innovation capabilities, established 196 national smart manufacturing demonstration factories, and nurtured 1,738 innovative ‘little giant’ enterprises.

Experts envision a ‘colorful’ development pathway during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30), driven by innovation and consumption rather than traditional factors. This comprehensive approach demonstrates China’s successful integration of ecological conservation with sustainable economic advancement along its most vital waterway.