The international landscape is accelerating toward multipolarity. China plays a key role in advancing global governance reform and promoting the common development of developing countries.
China’s reception of state leaders and the conclusion of cooperation agreements reflect the evolution of multipolarity, marking the transition away from a unipolar-dominated world and the emergence of a more fair and rational international order.
A critical question arises: Are Africa and the Global South well positioned to benefit from this transformation?
The clear answer is: Not yet fully prepared, but uniquely endowed with advantages. With faster strategic autonomy, they can fully seize the opportunities for development and revitalisation.
At present, most Global South nations are participants and beneficiaries of the transition, yet have not fully become rule-shapers.
Some face the risk of being caught in major-power rivalry, or of falling into passive dependence in resource and industrial cooperation.
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Nevertheless, the transition away from unipolarity has opened three unprecedented windows of opportunity for the Global South.
Current status and challenges of the Global South
1. Development financing and infrastructure upgrading
Within energy, trade and infrastructure cooperation, African and some Asian countries have formed resource and industrial cooperation patterns. China-Russia energy cooperation helps stabilize global energy supply and moderate prices, supporting energy security and transition in the Global South. Yet such cooperation must better support local processing, manufacturing and industrialisation.
2. Fragile food security and fertilizer supply
The Russia-Ukraine conflict has fully exposed the fragility of African food systems. The international community should strengthen food and fertilizer cooperation, prioritise food security for developing countries, and stabilize global food markets.
3. Insufficient voice and representation in global governance
Rule-making in global governance remains largely dominated by major powers. African, Latin American and other developing countries lack sufficient participation in agenda-setting, drafting and decision-making.
Strategic autonomy: From participation to shaping
To benefit from multipolarity, the Global South must not wait for major powers, but uphold strategic autonomy and leverage the space for cooperation. A practical path follows:
Path A: Pursue all-round friendly cooperation and strategic autonomy (The Zimbabwean approach)
The old model is bloc politics and bloc alignment. The new model is non-alignment, non-confrontation, non-targeting of third parties, and friendly cooperation with all. Just as China maintains an open attitude toward global leaders, African and Global South nations must uphold sovereignty, independence and choice, free from coercion.
- Action: Publicly adopt a policy of diverse partnerships and win-win cooperation. South Africa, Brazil, Indonesia, Nigeria and others may clearly state they will independently conduct security cooperation with Russia, trade and industrial cooperation with China, and tech and green cooperation with the EU, based on equality and mutual benefit.
- Leverage: Major powers value the strategic status and market potential of the Global South, which should use its advantages to pursue fairer cooperation.
Path B: Forge a common Global South vision for multipolar order
Before rules are finalized, the Global South should articulate its shared voice—not to reject existing frameworks, but to improve them—so multipolarity serves the 85% of humanity.
- Action: The AU, ASEAN and CARICOM jointly issue the Brasilia-Banjul-Bandung Declaration with three core principles:
1. Integrate debt relief, climate adaptation and development cooperation for fairer global financing.
2. Support resource sovereignty and strongly advance local processing and value addition to end reliance on raw material exports.
3. Promote fair, transparent, multi-stakeholder dispute settlement, rejecting monopoly of rule-making.
Path C: Strengthen multilateral coordination and governance voice
The Global South holds broad representation in the UN, WTO and international bodies. Collective positioning and coordinated voting are vital to stronger influence.
- Action: Coordinate positions to advance technology transfer, vaccine access, green energy and industrialization, turning collective stance into shared development gains.
- Mechanism: Improve the African risk capacity and establish a Global South Commodity Stabilization Fund to strengthen pricing power and resilience.
Path D: Build independent, people-Centred infrastructure
To avoid one-sided dependence, build locally led, regionally connected, independent and controllable cross-border infrastructure. Use the Lobito Corridor as a model for diversified, sustainable cooperation.
- Action: Accelerate the Trans-African Highway, Cairo-Cape Town Railway and other projects with Global South contractors, ensuring ownership and public benefit.
- Goal: Strengthen strategic autonomy by controlling north-south logistics amid global energy realignment.
Path E: Maximise strategic value through equal and mutually beneficial cooperation
Major powers value political, economic and security cooperation with the Global South, which should pursue equality, win-win cooperation and openness, rejecting bloc politics and opportunism.
- Action: Medium-sized states such as Zimbabwe, Kenya, Vietnam and Colombia conduct cooperation on the basis of equitable consultation, case-by-case mutual benefit, using port, cultural and scientific cooperation to gain food security, pharmaceutical access, technology and industrialisation.
Core message for decision-makers
The transformation of the international order is both challenge and historic opportunity for development.
The Global South’s weakness is lingering Cold War thinking about blocs and alignment. Yet it has unique strengths: global majority, geographic breadth, huge market potential and strategic room to maneuver.
Inaction leaves the Global South trapped as a raw material exporter.
Implementing the five paths—strategic autonomy, common vision, multilateral coordination, independent infrastructure, win-win cooperation—makes the Global South an independent, influential pole in the multipolar world: from participant to rule-shaper.
The real question is not whether power shifts, but whether you write the new rules, or merely sign them.
*Saxon Zvina is principal consultant, Skyworld Consultancy Services ,Member, Belt and Road Initiative Think Tank
Email: saxon@skyworld.co.zw | X: @saxonzvina2