China News Service, June 14 — "China has always been a member of the 'Global South' and will always belong to the developing world."

　　On June 12, President Xi Jinping delivered a video address at the opening ceremony of the celebration marking the 60th anniversary of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, once again emphasizing that China has always been a member of the "Global South."

　　Why does China, located in the Northern Hemisphere, always belong to the "Global South"?

　　The "Global South" here is not a purely geographical or economic concept; it is a collective of emerging market countries and developing countries, an identity formed by these countries on the basis of similar historical circumstances, current stages of development, common development goals, and shared political demands.

　　To understand the rise of the "Global South," a set of figures is most convincing: emerging market countries and developing countries contributed as much as 80% to world economic growth over the past 20 years, and their share of global GDP rose from 24% to more than 40% over the past 40 years.

　　The "Global South," which has profoundly rewritten the world economic landscape, is no longer the "silent majority" on the international political stage, but is regarded as a key force in the transformation of the international order and where the hope of once-in-a-century changes lies.

　　China is the world's largest developing country and a natural member of the "Global South" camp. President Xi Jinping has repeatedly called on the "Global South" on various occasions to strengthen solidarity and cooperation and safeguard common interests.

　　"We should strengthen strategic coordination, practice true multilateralism, and push for expanding the representation and voice of 'Global South' countries in global governance."

　　"At present, the collective rise of developing countries is unstoppable. Whether in global governance or in development and prosperity, the Global South should not be absent."

　　"Unite 'Global South' countries in the spirit of equality, openness, transparency, and inclusiveness, promote the reform of the global governance system, and effectively lead the building of a community with a shared future for mankind."

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　　Development is the ** priority of developing countries and the eternal theme of human society. Especially in recent years, as "small yards with high fences," "decoupling and breaking chains," and camp confrontation have become rampant, and the development agenda has been politicized and marginalized, the "Global South" has consistently placed particular emphasis on development issues internationally, called for the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and actively carried out international development cooperation.

　　In his video address on the evening of June 12, "development" remained the core term emphasized by Xi Jinping. He said that it is necessary to create an international environment for peaceful development, follow the trend of the times featuring open development, and seize the historical opportunity of innovative development.

　　He particularly mentioned that "all countries, especially major countries, should practice true multilateralism," "solve problems such as unbalanced development," "create an open, inclusive, and non-discriminatory digital economy environment," and "enable the vast number of developing countries to better integrate into the trends of digitalization, intelligentization, and green development." Behind each of these initiatives are urgent practical needs and far-reaching development considerations.

　　At present, China is comprehensively advancing Chinese modernization through high-quality development. This is an opportunity for China and also an opportunity for the world. As the world's largest developing country and a member of the "Global South," China has in recent years proposed the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative to help world modernization and achieve common prosperity.

　　In his video address, Xi Jinping announced that in the next five years, China will donate US$20 million to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development to help implement the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and ensure that no country is left behind.

　　Not leaving a single country behind — this is the "Global South" voice voiced by China.