English

   
By Xie Fang  
 
As a broad framework of collaboration among countries of the South, the South-South cooperation has been an essential mechanism for supporting the development of developing countries for decades. Through the South-South cooperation, developing countries share knowledge, skills, expertise and resources to meet their development goals.  
 
In a recent interview with the China Fortune Media, Xiaojun Grace Wang, Deputy Director of the United Nations Office for the South-South Cooperation, noted that, with the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 2015, the South-South cooperation had entered an era of transformation.  
 
“New questions have been raised for the South-South cooperation,” said Wang. “How can the South-South cooperation be more demand-driven? How can it really focus on the needs of those least developed countries? How can developing countries leverage the energy of their private sector and civil society organizations?” She expected policy makers of the developing countries to implement new policies to ensure the best effect of the South-South cooperation.  
 
Wang spoke highly of China's critical role in promoting the South-South cooperation in this new era. “China has always been a strong advocate and support for the South-South cooperation,” said Wang, adding that China had been making its best effort to stimulate the global economy and help other developing countries since the 2008 financial crisis.  
 
She underscored the significance of China's Belt and Road Initiative to the South-South cooperation. “It kind of lifted the South-South cooperation from the project level to the level of policy coordination and national development strategy coordination,” said Wang. “It deepened the meaning of the South-South cooperation.”  
 
In addition, Wang believed that China's economic achievement had not only set an example but also given great confidence to other developing countries. “China shows that developing countries can follow their own development paths and achieve their own development status like what China has done,” said Wang, adding that confidence was the most important asset China had offered to the world.  
 
According to Wang, apart from providing financial assistance, China was also sharing knowledge with other developing countries, which she thought is much more important.  
 
She was impressed by China's practice of launching pilot programs. “China usually tests out its policy innovations by piloting them at the local level at first and then promotes these innovations to other parts of the country after they prove to be successful,” said Wang. “I think this is something that can be inspiring to other countries.”  
 
Wang also believed that developing countries could learn a lot from China's effort to reduce poverty. She noted that China had adopted a comprehensive approach to address this issue, including good policy environment, strong political will, actions at the local level and the mobilization of the whole society.  
 
However, she pointed out that since some countries have also launched their own targeted poverty eradication programs, China could also learn from those programs to tackle its last-mile poverty eradication challenge. “I think mutual learning is one of the basic spirits of the South-South cooperation,” said Wang.  
 
From her perspective, an effective cooperation between developing and developed countries is also crucial for the development of developing countries. But she emphasized the importance of equal partnership in such cooperation.  
 
Wang believed that it was important for developed countries to unlearn some of their experiences which might be no longer suitable for today’s world. “That's a painful process,” said Wang. “But it's really important.”