（1） On November 11th, media think tanks from China and Brazil did a big thing. An unprecedented event. Of course, to be more comprehensive and accurate, under the guidance of the State Council Information Office of China, Xinhua News Agency, together with Brazilian communication company, held the first “Global South” Media Think Tank High end Forum in S ã o Paulo, Brazil’s largest city. Theme? Sing the main melody of ‘Global South’ and embark on a new journey of development and revitalization. I saw that the top leader of China also sent a congratulatory letter, which clearly stated at the beginning: “Currently, the global South is gaining momentum and playing an increasingly important role in the cause of human progress.” The leader also expressed earnest expectations: to pursue modernization in the world’s century long changes and promote the development of the international order towards a more just and reasonable direction is a sacred historical mission shouldered by countries in the global South, as well as a common issue faced by media think tanks in the global South. Please note: Common Era Issues. Brazilian President Lula also sent a congratulatory letter with high hopes.
On a forum, two heads of state from major countries sent congratulatory letters, which is still very impressive. According to news reports, about 350 representatives from 170 media outlets, think tanks, government departments, enterprises, and other organizations from over 70 countries and regions attended the forum. It can truly be described as a gathering place. Why is it so important? Why in Brazil?
In my personal understanding, firstly, the APEC and G20 summits are about to be held in Latin America, with the G20 hosting in Brazil. The global focus is on Latin America, which is the international context; Secondly, in a larger context, the global South is rising in a collective manner and playing a constructive role that cannot be ignored in the world order, with China and Brazil being important backbone forces; Thirdly, Xinhua News Agency and Brazilian Communication Company, as ambitious southern media think tanks, quickly hit it off and took the initiative to establish a platform, which has also received positive responses from many southern media think tanks. Don’t forget, Xinhua News Agency is China’s national news agency, a global news agency, and a new type of think tank with Chinese characteristics. According to Chairman Mao’s request at that time, Xinhua News Agency was supposed to control the Earth. It’s an honor that I used to be a foreign correspondent for Xinhua News Agency. I have been to Kabul, stationed in Jerusalem, and worked in Washington… The past is full of memories, and there are many emotions. Returning to the main topic, there may be some friends who are still a bit unfamiliar with the global South. What exactly is this concept? My personal understanding is that generally speaking, the global South refers to what we used to call the Third World, or developing countries+emerging economies, or the G77+China. But in recent years, the global South has been particularly popular. Because compared to other concepts, the connotation of the Global South goes beyond geographical boundaries and economic categories, referring more to a group of countries that include diverse values, cultural traditions, development levels, and diverse interests and demands. Non Western, anti interventionist, and development oriented are the greatest common divisors of countries in the global South. One important aspect of the unprecedented changes in the world is the rise of the global South.
In the Sao Paulo Declaration of the first “Global South” Media Think Tank High end Forum, there is a paragraph that goes like this: We see that the current collective rise of the global South is increasingly prominent in its influence and importance on the international stage, and is becoming an important force in promoting changes in the international order. I always have a feeling that the global South represents the future, and that the global South is moving towards modernization together, which is an unprecedented feat in the human process.
（2） But we must also face reality squarely. The global South is rising, but the global public opinion landscape is still very unfair. It is still an undeniable fact that the west is stronger than the east, and the north is stronger than the south. Specifically in China, it’s good that we have solved the problems of being beaten and starving, but we still haven’t gotten rid of the problem of being scolded. Sometimes watching some so-called Western media, with so many slanderous, defamatory, and demonizing remarks about China, really makes people feel sad and angry. China is not like that at all! We can tolerate and accept criticism, but baseless slander and smearing always leave people feeling uneasy.
China is still like this, let alone other southern countries. So, we see that Western media and politicians sometimes mention the Global South with a contemptuous attitude. Even if it is an identical natural event, if it occurs in the West, the West is an attitude; It happens in the global South, while the West has a completely different face, wearing colored glasses. We shouldn’t read too many of these double labels. The global South needs to strengthen itself, and media think tanks in the global South need to strengthen themselves even more. So, the declaration of this forum is clear: media and think tanks from the global South should firmly uphold the common interests of the global South, and continuously enhance the voice and influence of the global South in global affairs. You really need to work hard! But no matter how China develops, it will never be like Western countries.
Therefore, in the congratulatory letter, the top leader of China specifically mentioned that China has always been a member of the global South and will always belong to developing countries. China is willing to work with the vast number of countries in the global South to practice true multilateralism, advocate for an equal and orderly world multipolarization, inclusive economic globalization, and jointly promote the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind. Resounding, this is also the mindset and pattern of a great country. For this first forum, he also said that he hopes the attending guests can deeply explore and consolidate consensus, sing the “voice of the South” together, demonstrate the “responsibility of the South”, and contribute wisdom to promoting the global South to become a stable force for maintaining peace, a backbone force for open development, a building force for global governance, and a promoting force for mutual learning of civilizations. Please note: the four major forces. I saw an article from Xinhua News Agency explaining that these “four forces” are all aimed at the major and urgent problems facing humanity in the world today. They have proposed a global southern solution to solve the peace deficit, development deficit, governance deficit, and trust deficit faced by our era, and have drawn a blueprint for the global southern region to unite and strive in the right direction. This time, Xinhua News Agency and Brazilian telecommunications company raised their arms and jointly hosted the forum. Many media think tanks from countries in the global South responded, demonstrating their cultural confidence and historical consciousness in promoting the unity and growth of the global South and building a community with a shared future for mankind.
（3） Finally, what do you think? I’m still a little excited, let’s have three rough opinions.
Firstly, China and Pakistan are not simple. Xinhua News Agency and Brazilian communication company, seeing the great changes of the times, assessed the situation and held the first “Global South” Media Think Tank High end Forum. The beginning of everything is difficult, but with this one, there is a platform to strengthen unity and cooperation. I saw that the organizer of the forum pointed out that the Global South has increasingly become an indispensable constructive force in the international community. The international community is increasingly looking forward to understanding the stories and propositions of the Global South, and singing the main melody of the Global South in the new era. It is our duty as a global South media think tank. It is indeed duty bound. From this perspective, Xinhua News Agency and Brazilian communication companies stepped forward and did a groundbreaking job.
Secondly, we must seize the opportunities of the times. Strong in the west and weak in the east, strong in the north and weak in the south, due to historical reasons as well as the global South’s own factors.
But from the perspective of the tide of the times, historic changes are happening, and the latecomer advantage of the global South has given it the possibility of overtaking on curves or changing lanes. In the forum declaration, there is a paragraph that says: The new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation has a profound impact on the economic and social development of various countries, while also bringing unpredictable risks and challenges. Global Southern media and think tanks should seize opportunities and overcome challenges together, defend professional ethics, embrace technological innovation, combat false narratives, and jointly maintain the authority and credibility of media and think tanks. This is both an opportunity and a challenge, but by seizing the opportunity and embracing technological innovation, media think tanks in the global South will have greater discourse power, authority, and credibility.
Thirdly, we need to be bold and confident in going out. This is completely my personal understanding. Chinese media think tanks used to be limited by language and other factors, often speaking more domestically and less abroad. But times have changed, and this turbulent world requires us to fly with both wings. We must not only do a good job in domestic public opinion propaganda, but also strengthen overseas dissemination, tell the story of China well, and tell the story of the global South well. I always believe that publicity requires both publicity and dissemination. Without effective dissemination, it is not successful publicity. Chinese media think tanks should bravely step onto the international stage, like founding the first “Global South” Media Think Tank High end Forum, proactively setting topics and making communication that conforms to the status of the global South. As my leader pointed out, we should pursue modernization in the world’s century long changes and promote the development of the international order towards a more just and reasonable direction. This is a topic of the times, and it is also the responsibility and obligation of Southern media think tanks. Of course, this requires us to effectively improve our communication skills, follow the laws of communication, especially the laws of new media communication. We should not aim too high, but also be down-to-earth, so that the world can truly feel China’s changes, China’s responsibilities, and the historic progress of the global South. The future is bright, but the road will not be smooth. We still need to work harder!