2023-09-18 19:45:10
Peking (ots/PRNewswire) – Havana residents hope the Group of 77 (G77) plus China summit will be a driving force for closer cooperation among developing countries.
“Developing countries need to develop, fight poverty and deal with other problems that affect them,” architect Eddy Regueiro told CGTN ahead of the event, which took place in the Cuban capital on Friday and Saturday.
“I hope the summit will focus on ways to achieve sustainable development using science and technology, to look for more innovative opportunities for developing countries,” said sociology student Samantha Ross.
Their expectations are reflected in the Havana Declaration adopted on Saturday, which highlights the role of science and technology and calls for an open, fair, inclusive and non-discriminatory environment for scientific and technological development.
The G77, which includes 134 developing countries, concluded the summit in Havana on September 16 and declared the day Science, Technology and Innovation Day in the Global South.
Bridging the digital divide
At the summit, Li Xi, special representative of Chinese President Xi Jinping and member of the Standing Committee of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, called for all countries to benefit equally from digital dividends, adding that none Developing countries should be left behind or excluded when it comes to developing new technologies and industries.
Addressing the 17th Group of 20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia in November 2022, President Xi Jinping said it is important to bridge the digital divide and that countries should work together to expand connectivity in the digital era and take effective measures to to promote digital skills and abilities for everyone.
It is particularly important to support developing countries and disadvantaged groups in adapting to digital change and closing the digital divide, said the Chinese president.
To bridge the digital divide, China has established a Digital Silk Road cooperation mechanism with 17 countries and an advanced bilateral electronic commerce cooperation mechanism on the Silk Road with 29 countries, Chen Chunjiang, vice minister of commerce, announced in March.
African Union Chairman and Comoros President Azali Assoumani, speaking at the summit, praised China’s efforts to promote global economic development through digital cooperation and mentioned that digital cooperation is an important part of the New Silk Road.
Promoting South-South cooperation
Li Xi also emphasized that South-South cooperation is always a high priority in China’s cooperation with other countries.
“China is the largest developing country in the world. No matter what stage of development it reaches, China will always be part of the developing world and a member of the Global South,” he said.
At the BRICS Africa Outreach and BRICS Plus Dialogue in Johannesburg in August, President Xi Jinping announced that China had established a global development and South-South cooperation fund with a total volume of US$4 billion. Chinese financial institutions would also soon set up a $10 billion special fund dedicated to implementing the Global Development Initiative (GDI).
Djibouti Prime Minister Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed expressed that South-South cooperation is an important way to promote solidarity and also praised the GDI for leading to many successful cases of cooperation in the Global South during the summit.
“If brothers agree, they can cut through metal with united strength,” Li Xi quoted a Chinese proverb, calling on G77 members and China to promote cooperation in the areas of food security, poverty alleviation, industrialization, green development, digital technology and advance artificial intelligence.
Reform of global governance
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday called on G77 members and China to commit to a multilateral system based on equality that benefits all humanity, not just the privileged.
Science, technology and innovation can strengthen solidarity and solve common problems, but today “they often fuel inequalities and establish divisions,” said Guterres.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry released one on Wednesday Draft on the Reform and Development of Global Governance, which sets out China’s stance and proposals on key areas of global governance.
Regarding scientific development, China stressed that scientific and technological progress should benefit all of humanity and not become a means of restricting and curbing the development of other countries.
The draft highlighted that developing countries should be able to fully exercise the right to the peaceful use of science and technology in order to facilitate the achievement of sustainable development goals and to respond effectively to the security risks arising from scientific and technological development .
China will strengthen international exchanges and cooperation in science and technology with more open thinking and actions, and work with other countries to create an open, fair, equitable and non-discriminatory environment for the development of science and technology and achieve mutual and shared benefits it continues.
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