The recent Chinese President Xi Jinping went to South Africa to attend the BRICS Summit. During the meeting, the BRICS organizations made large -scale expansion.Important countries can join.Xi Jinping has only visited the outside world twice this year. This trip to South Africa is the second visit to Russia after March, which highlights that the current Chinese diplomacy has put "Global Southern" primarily.
In fact, diplomacy of the People's Republic of China has always attached great importance to the relationship between developing countries.During the Cold War, Mao Zedong proposed the famous "three worlds" idea to divide the world into three categories at the time.In the world, the majority of Asia, Africa, and Latin developed countries, including China, are the third world.The concepts of "Global Southern" and the Third World that people talked about this year are highly reconnected. Even if Saudi Arabia and the UAE countries have jumped into high -income countries, the international community still distinguishes these emerging economies and old -fashioned industrialized countries into "Part of the global south.Although China has become the second largest economy in the world, it still positions itself as a developing country and belongs to the "Southern Global".These "global southern" countries often have some similar views on international governance issues, such as emphasizing poverty alleviation, infrastructure construction, technological transfer and assistance.Therefore, "Global Southern" is now not just an economic concept, but more political identity involves the country's political identity.
China's Third World Diplomacy
In the Mao Zedong era, based on the concept of the three worlds, Chinese diplomacy focused on the third world.At that time, the relationship between China and the United States and the Soviet Union was not good. Due to the differences between ideology and social systems, the relationship between China and other developed western countries could not develop greatly.Therefore, at that time, China focused on its diplomatic layout in the third world countries such as Asia, Africa, and La, and supported the development of these countries through a large number of assistance, and also enhanced its international status.In 1971, with the support of many developing countries, the People's Republic of China obtained the power of the United Nations representatives, which is considered a major achievement in China's third world diplomacy.
However, due to the low level of development in China at that time, some economic assistance exceeded the level of economic strength at that time, and after the mid -to -late 1970s, China gradually revised its relationship with developed western countries.Cool down.After the reform and opening up, China focused on the development of the country in the development of domestic economic development. Out of the needs of attracting foreign investment, technology and export markets, the relationship between development and western powers such as the United States became more and more important.
After China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001, the decision -making level has formed the consensus of "big country is the key and the surrounding is the primary", which describes the focus of China's foreign policy focus.The weight.This is also in line with the needs of China's rapid economic development at that time. The government needs a stable external environment to carry out domestic economic construction.But at the same time, with the rise of national strength, China also attaches great importance to the relationship between development and the majority of developing countries. The breakthroughs are first placed in Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Central Asia.During the Hu Jintao period, China and African relations made a breakthrough, and in 2006, the first China -Africa Cooperation Forum Summit was held in Beijing, and more than 30 heads of African countries attended.Since then, related activities have been held many times, and China has also announced that it has reduced debts and large -scale aid projects.
China's Foreign Foreign Focus Adjustment in the New Era
After Xi Jinping served as the President of the State, China's diplomatic focus was further shifted to "Southern Global".Xi Jinping's "Belt and Road" plan proposed in 2013 has passed through many developing countries in Asia and Africa on the sea and land, and finally went directly to Europe.The "Belt and Road" is a large -scale infrastructure construction that helps countries along the route. It is a magnificent plan for developing the economy. Although it also includes developed European economies, it is more important to focus on "global southern" countries such as Asia and Africa, and as well asThe Indo -Pacific strategy proposed by the United States later has a lot of overlap.The "Belt and Road" is a major embodiment of China's third world diplomacy in Xi Jinping's era, indicating that China has gradually put diplomatic focus in the third world country again.
In recent years, Sino -US relations have become increasingly tense, and the relationship between China and other Western countries is not as good as before.Trade war, technical blockade, industrial chain transfer, border control, and "de -risk", etc., have greatly reduced mutual dependence between China's and Western developed economies, and also reduced exchanges and exchanges.Under such a new situation, Chinese diplomacy is facing new adjustments, which will further enhance the importance of "Global Southern", and may even be placed in the primary position.Cooperate with this, China's foreign trade and investment focus may also turn to the southern world.
For a long time in the past, it has been the position of developed economies such as the United States and Europe, which has occupied China's largest trading partner. However, since 2020, the "Global Southern" Asianan has begun to become China's largest trading partner.New high.The trade volume of China and countries along the Belt and Road is also growing. In 2022, this digital growth increased by up to 19%, which significantly exceeded the overall growth rate of China's foreign trade during the same period.China ’s direct investment in non -financial countries along the route also increased by 7.7%, while actual investment in China along the route increased by 17.2%.As some Western capitals transfer to China, the "Global South" will become a new direction for China to attract investment.
This expansion not only expands the international influence of the BRICS organization, but also helps China to use this platform to expand its influence in the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and other places, and increase the right to speak in international affairs in international affairs.EssenceBRICS organizations look at the situation, and it may be expanded again in the future, covering important economies in Southeast Asia, South Asia and other places.
The author is the deputy director of the East Asia Research Institute of the National University of Singapore, a senior researcher
