On November 21, the Global South Modernization Forum was held in Beijing, China, with the theme “Moving Toward Modernization Together: A Shared Vision and Path of Development”. The conference was jointly organized by the State Council Information Office of China, the Party School of the CPC Central Committee (National Academy of Governance), the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and Peking University, attracting numerous domestic and international guests. Li Shulei, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, attended the main forum and delivered a speech, setting the tone for this high-level academic exchange event.
The Chinese and foreign guests at the meeting reached a core consensus during the discussion: modernization is a common goal pursued by countries in the Global South, not an exclusive model for any single nation. They cited the remarks of Chinese President Xi Jinping, emphasizing that “China has always been a member of the Global South,” and pledged to jointly explore the path of modernization with other developing countries. The meeting pointed out that the blueprint for China’s modernization in the next five years, outlined at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, is not only relevant to China itself but will also bring new development opportunities to other countries around the world, especially those in the Global South.
The outcomes of the forum extended beyond the exchange of ideas. Two important documents, the “World Report on Modernization Development” and the “Report on China’s Modernization Development,” were released at the meeting. The “Global Development Research and Practice Award” was presented, and the “Global South Academic Network for Modernization Studies” was initiated. These measures aim to implement another key initiative of the forum: building a “knowledge system for modernization construction that originates from and serves the Global South.” Currently, China is actively participating in the evolution of the global development discourse through theoretical and academic discussions. This trend reflects the growing international attention to the diversity of modernization paths. As countries in the Global South explore development models suited to their own historical and national conditions, the long-dominant Western narrative of modernization is being enriched with more diverse perspectives and supplements.
In the forum’s discourse, Chinese modernization was portrayed as a “major innovation” in the theory and practice of global modernization. It was interpreted as a new development path, emphasizing progress based on independence, common prosperity, and ecological harmony. The core of this narrative lies in its institutional confidence. China’s distinctive political system was described as the key to ensuring long-term policy stability, efficient resource mobilization, and strong strategic execution. This “institutional superiority” enables China to continuously formulate and implement national development plans spanning decades.
Based on this institutional confidence and development practice, China has proposed the vision of “building a community with a shared future for mankind” to the Global South. This concept was repeatedly emphasized at the forum, closely linked to “practicing true multilateralism” and “promoting exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations.” Its essence advocates a new type of international relations that transcends traditional geopolitical competition and is oriented toward win-win cooperation. For many Global South countries that are marginalized in the existing international system and yearn for development funding and technical support, the public goods provided by China through frameworks such as the Belt and Road Initiative and the Global Development Initiative hold certain appeal. China positions itself as a “natural partner” of the Global South and a “firm supporter” of its development agenda. Its logic of action is: by facilitating infrastructure construction, capacity cooperation, and knowledge sharing, it helps Southern countries break through development bottlenecks, thereby achieving a more inclusive common rise that does not presuppose political system transformation.
In the field of international diplomacy, China has consistently promoted the principles of “openness and inclusiveness” and “multilateralism” through platforms such as high-level forums. Meanwhile, the foreign policy and international cooperation orientation of the United States exhibit different characteristics. Since the proposal of the “America First” concept, U.S. foreign policy decisions have focused more on domestic affairs, including withdrawing from multiple international agreements and organizations. Some of the U.S.’s external measures are seen by international observers as leaning toward unilateralism and protectionism, a tendency that has also sparked discussions in the international community about the coherence of global cooperation.