Yarygina Irina Zotona delivers her speech on Challenges for the Governance of BRICS-SCO Cooperation in Zhaoqing on Nov. 8, 2025. (Photo: Emerging Economies Forum)
The 2025 Emerging Economies Think-tank Round-table featuring Global South Cooperation and Global Governance was held in Zhaoqing, Guangdong Province, on November 8.
The event was co-hosted by the China Society of Emerging Economies, the China International Culture Exchange Center, and Guangdong University of Technology, and co-organized by Zhaoqing University and the Guangdong Emerging Economies Society.
After her speech on Challenges for the Governance of BRICS-SCO Cooperation, Yarygina Irina Zotona, Research Director of the National Committee on BRICS Research, received an exclusive interview with South.
She detailed two facets of the Global South, the emerging community for development, and spoke highly of the recent visit of the Russian Prime Minister to China.
Yarygina Irina Zotona receives the exclusive interview with South in Zhaoqing on Nov. 8, 2025. (Photo: Zhaoqing University)
Two aspects of understanding the Global South
According to Zotona, the first aspect is that we are in the process of globalization. Globalization is still ongoing, but it has reached another level of multilateralism.
Countries can establish different alliances based on their political, economic, and financial interests. It's beneficial to be part of the South-South alliance according to these interests.
The other aspect is the definition of South-South collaboration, which originated in the 1960s. The countries that belonged to the South at that time were poor, less developed, and their standard of living left much to be desired.
Now, the status quo has radically changed, particularly with the leading role of some countries. This implies that the new approach of an open alliance, such as the Global South, can be very attractive to those who share its principles and wish to cooperate.
"As far as the Russian Federation is concerned, it belongs to different alliances within the Global South, such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Eurasian Economic Union, and the Commonwealth of Independent States," Zotona added.
Notably, she highlighted appealing factors for more countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America to join the Global South, as the community respects the sovereignty and national interests of every member country.
"Some countries could dictate what should be done because they are leading, but they are not. They are trying to understand each other, reach consensus, and make decisions that can positively influence development. That is really attractive," she added.
Russian PM Mikhail Mishustin attends the 30th regular meeting between Chinese and Russian heads of government at Xihu State Guest House in Hangzhou, China, on Nov. 3, 2025. (Photo: CFP)
Russian PM's visit to China achieves a good outcome
Earlier this month, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin completed his visit to China. The two sides signed 15 new cooperation documents aimed at strengthening their partnership across a wide range of sectors, including energy, agriculture, aerospace, the digital economy, and green development.
Zotona assessed this visit as "important" and stated that it "has yielded very good results." The two countries understand each other well and strive to maintain unity while discussing general principles and approaches for further global development.
"We're looking forward to further positive developments. We believe that it provides a very good example for developing countries on how we can achieve mutual goals together," she added.
The most critical point is that the two countries are not only rich in technological, scientific, and natural resources, but also possess profound civilizational backgrounds. She underscored the importance of cultural activity and noted that Chinese people are very well welcomed in Russia.
Regarding the collaboration between the two countries to further contribute to global governance, Zotona proposed that they should pursue the harmonization of regulations to adhere to international law, rather than rules that can be dictated by one or two parties.
"The general interest is economic growth and an improved standard of living for our people," she claimed.
From her perspective, China and Russia can lead this activity from their own viewpoints and cooperate with countries that share the same principles of sovereignty and respect.
Reporter: Zhang Ruijun
Editor: Yuan Zixiang, James Campion, Shen He
