Source: Global Times
Europeans now attach great importance to reaching out to poor countries in the global south – according to the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, this is the message that European Council President Michel spared no effort to emphasize during the first round of discussions at the Munich Security Conference on February 17, and it is also the core message of the three-day Muan meeting. During the meeting, French President Emmanuel Macron also stressed the importance that the West attaches to the countries of the Global South, calling on Europe and the United States to balance the global order and regain the trust of all parties. The French "European Times" commented that the countries of the global south have become the focus of Europe's "wooing targets". In fact, not only in Europe, but also in Asia, Japan continues to show its "favor" for countries in the Global South through actions, while India has changed its diplomatic strategy for 30 years and hopes to become the "spokesperson" of these countries. In short, the countries of the Global South are being welcomed by many parties, and it seems that "a sudden spring breeze has come". So where does this "spring breeze" come from? How do the countries of the Global South view this different "warmth"?
Europe, Japan, and India all need to strengthen their ties with them
"The countries of the Global South are being popular," Süddeutsche Zeitung said, adding that European Council President Michel spoke of partnership, trust and fairness during the first round of talks on the morning of February 17 on the morning of February 17 on the theme "Recalibrating the Compass: North-South Cooperation". He could hardly leave the importance Europe attached to the countries of the Global South. The European leader also pledged the EU's support for the African Union's accession to the G20. The European Union recently announced plans to invest 150 billion euros in the continent to build roads, railways and more. Germany, Belgium, Italy and Sweden have also recently assumed Somalia's debt to the International Fund for Agricultural Development.
In fact, Europe's emphasis on the countries of the Global South has been beginning last year. According to the German newspaper Die Zeit, German Chancellor Scholz visited more than 20 countries after taking office. In addition to the "democratic partners", there are the countries of the Global South. He expressed the hope to meet new partners in the southern hemisphere on an equal footing. The German leader also invited India, South Africa, Indonesia, Argentina and other southern countries to the Group of Seven (G7) summit last June.
On the other side of the globe, Japan, also a Western country, plans to invite countries from the Global South to the G7 summit in Hiroshima in May. Japan's NHK TV reported that the Kishida government plans to strengthen cooperation with countries in the Global South by discussing global issues such as climate change during the summit. Japanese dignitaries, including Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, have also recently frequently shouted at countries in the Global South. In his policy speech to the Diet on January 23, during his visit to five European and American countries from January 9 to 13, and in an interview with Japanese media in October last year, Kishida expressed Tokyo's desire to strengthen ties with countries in the Global South. Following last year's visits to Central Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa and the Pacific, Lin Fangzheng visited four countries in the Global South, including Brazil and Argentina.
"(Countries of the Global South) disappeared from India's foreign policy 'radar' after the end of the Cold War, and New Delhi is reconnecting with these countries." The Indian Express described the significance of the Global South Voice of the South summit hosted by India in January. Over the past 30 years, India's diplomacy has focused on major power relations and peripheral diplomacy, and the summit invited 125 developing countries except China, Brazil and Pakistan to discuss issues such as financial development and energy security. While the Modi government often criticizes the Congress party and blames many of India's problems on policies during the party's administration, India is trying to rebuild the image of the Nehru government, the "spokesman" of the countries of the Global South, according to India's Outlook magazine. New Delhi also wants to be a bridge between the rich industrialized countries and the countries of the Global South.
The Russian-Ukrainian conflict is a turning point
According to the Nikkei newspaper, countries in the Global South lack a clear definition, but they generally include countries in Southeast Asia, Africa, South America and Central America. Countries in the Global South generally remain politically neutral and avoid directly siding with one side in international disputes. It is worth noting that some countries no longer consider China to be a country in the Global South. Cheng Yawen, a professor at the School of International Relations and Public Affairs of Shanghai Overseas Chinese University, told the Global Times reporter that the countries of the global south refer to the third world countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, basically equivalent to developing countries, and developing countries can enjoy some special treatment in some international organizations, so when some Western countries have trade frictions with China, they advocate that China is a developed country and intend to cancel the rights of developing countries enjoyed by China in these international organizations. China has always been a member of the developing countries and has always safeguarded the interests of developing countries.
Germany's "Süddeutsche Zeitung" and many other media mentioned that the West's round of diplomatic offensive to win over countries in the Global South began with the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. After the outbreak of the conflict, Western countries basically imposed sanctions on Russia, while non-Western countries did not blindly comply. The European Times said that this undoubtedly sounded the alarm for the West. "The countries of the South are beginning to escape Western control," the German South America-focused Amerika news network pointed out, adding that if the West does not want to suffer serious setbacks in the global power struggle, it must at least win back the support of some countries in the Global South. This year's Munich Security Report said that unless the West addresses the dissatisfaction of African, Latin American and Asian countries with the current international order, Europe and the United States will find it difficult to win their support.
Wang Yiwei, director of the European Union Research Center of Chinese Minmin University, told the Global Times reporter that there are three reasons why the West pays great attention to the countries of the Global South: First, the countries of the Global South have more than half of the world's population, and they did not vote for the resolution to sanction Russia at the United Nations General Assembly, which made the West shocked and felt that the "rules-based international order" it had established was challenged, so it was necessary to draw together the countries of the Global South to establish an "international united front" to combat countries that did not match their own values and interests; Second, the development and growth of China's joint construction of the "Belt and Road" initiative has made the West very red-eyed, so they want to win over countries in the global south to weaken China's regional influence and shake China's "mass base" in the international community; Third, the West is trying to restart the new globalization centered on itself, and they need the cooperation of the countries of the global South to expand their voice and influence in global governance and become the makers of the new international order.
After the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Europe suffered from an energy crisis and inflation, while the United States took advantage of the fire to sell high-priced energy to Europe and passed various bills, harming European interests by drawing salaries from the bottom and causing widespread dissatisfaction in Europe. Therefore, some analysts believe that Europe's efforts to win the support of countries in the global South are also broadening the path for its own development. The Nikkei Shimbun believes that Tokyo's strengthening of relations with countries in the Global South is in the hope of seeking to establish a "common front against Russia and China" at a time when the international security pattern is undergoing great changes. The Hindustan Times said that an important driver for India to focus on countries in the Global South is to seek to increase its competitive advantage over China.
Stronger and more confident
Some US media said that the countries of the Global South are becoming stronger and more confident in world politics. According to Foreign Policy magazine, one of the most significant trends in global politics in 2023 is the increasing influence of countries in the Global South. The European Times believes that the discourse on global security and order is "moving south". Haug, a researcher at the German Development Institute, a German think tank, said that the sense of identity between countries in the global South is quite strong, and if it is twisted into a rope, the strength cannot be underestimated.
The strength of the countries of the Global South continues to be proven. According to the European Times, the Mu'an Association, founded in 1963, has always embodied a world order dominated by the West. At this year's meeting, Western countries tried to lead and coordinate the position of providing military support to Ukraine, but because it did not receive the support of non-Western countries, the meeting did not reach a broad consensus on assisting Ukraine. In addition, it seems surprising that the demands of countries in the Global South for a change in the world order have received more support at this meeting, while the "one-pole" world dominated by the United States has been more questioned.
Foreign Policy magazine mentioned that with the efforts of countries in the global South, the 27th Conference of the Parties (COP27) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change last year decided to establish a "loss and damage" fund to help developing countries cope with the damage caused by climate change. For decades, climate negotiations have repeated an old path: after rich countries declared their need to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, developing countries pointed to their need for assistance in transitioning to clean energy; While developed countries will announce small amounts of aid to developing countries, few commitments have been fulfilled. In 2022, though, things seem to have changed. At the insistence of the countries of the Global South, the rich countries have finally acknowledged that they have more responsibility in addressing climate change and should do more to reduce the impact of climate change on developing countries, which will likely change the tone and nature of all subsequent global climate negotiations.
After COP27 closed, Qatar hosted the World Cup, highlighting the rising strength of countries in the Global South. In addition to Qatar, Saudi Arabia has become a new force in golf, while the Indian Premier League has developed into the world's most influential and commercially valuable professional event. Entertainment is also an area of growing influence in the countries of the Global South. "Foreign Policy" magazine said that in 1995, more than 3/4 of the global box office of Hollywood's two highest-grossing films "Toy Story" and "Apollo 13" came from the United States, but "Avatar: The Way of Water" and "Top Gun 2: The Lone Ranger" released in 2022 both exceeded the US domestic box office overseas. The shift in box office sources has gradually affected content creation in Hollywood, which in recent years has been producing more and more films that appeal to Chinese and Indian audiences.
The economic and technological power of the countries of the Global South is also growing, while the economic growth of Western countries is relatively slow. According to the Nikkei newspaper, the G7's share of global gross domestic product has fallen from 66 percent in 1990 to about 45 percent now. Takehiko Nakao, president of Mizuho Research and Technology Corporation of Japan and former president of the Asian Development Bank, said that the world economy that developed countries can control is getting smaller and smaller. According to a 2020 report by the Asian Development Bank, in 1960, Asia (including Central Asia but excluding the Middle East, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand) accounted for only 4% of world GDP, while in 2018, this share grew to around 25%, on par with the United States and Europe. If you add the GDP of Japan, Australia and New Zealand, this figure increases by 6%-7%. At the same time, countries in the Global South, represented by Asian countries, are creating cutting-edge technologies, and some economies have the potential to leapfrog development.
Some scholars told the Global Times reporter that from the 90s of the 20th century to the beginning of the 21st century, the United States was the leading and driving force of globalization, and most of the countries in the global South were active participants in globalization. But then, the world is about to usher in a "new globalization", and the countries of the Global South are bound to replace the United States as the driving force. At present, many countries in South Asia, Southeast Asia and Africa have a considerable demographic dividend, and several international organizations also predict that after the new crown virus epidemic, the main force of world economic growth will be developing countries. When these countries set off a new round of economic revolution, European and American countries can also benefit from it, so they naturally want to win over the countries of the global South.
Distrust of the West and refusal to ally with great powers
The West is extremely close to the countries of the Global South, so what is the position of the latter on this? According to a recent article by the German Friedrich Naumann Foundation, the countries of the Global South do not trust the West. This is not surprising considering the colonial history of Western countries. According to Foreign Policy magazine, diplomats in Thailand, Kenya and other countries in the Global South are unhappy with the West, which they believe pays little attention to the problems facing other countries but want them to follow the Western baton.
At the recent Mu'an meeting, countries in the Global South also expressed their dissatisfaction with the West. According to the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, during the Feb. 17 discussion, Michel repeatedly emphasized "solidarity", while Ghanaian President Akufo-Addo, who sat across from him, said that Africans did not see this "solidarity" during the epidemic and were left behind.
Suzuki, a professor at the University of Tokyo, believes that the countries of the Global South will make the best choice in their own interests depending on the situation, rather than choosing sides. According to Australia's Dialogue News Network, most Latin American countries refuse to ally with any major power. They have also ignored U.S. warnings that many countries are cooperating with China on infrastructure, 5G technology and digital connectivity. Leaders in the Global South, from India to Kenya, are defending their own strategic interests rather than those of the West, and they are becoming increasingly assertive and making their voices heard, Foreign Policy magazine said.