The 17th BRICS Summit will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from Sunday to Monday local time. As the rotating chair of the bloc, Brazil is hosting the summit under the banner of "Strengthening Global South Cooperation for More Inclusive and Sustainable Governance."

Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrived in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday to attend the summit and met with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Li stressed that China is willing to work in unity with developing countries to promote an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, and provide more certainty and stability for the world.

As this will be the first gathering since the group's expansion of new members and partner countries representing over half the world's population and 40 percent of its economic output, experts from around the world view the BRICS summit as a landmark event, which reflects a broader and more inclusive representation. It is poised to strengthen cohesion and cooperation among emerging markets, and powerfully showcase the rising influence of the "Global South" on the world stage, they noted.

Premier Li said on Saturday during meeting with President Lula that China is willing to work with Brazil to leverage each other's complementary advantages and expand cooperation in such areas as digital economy, green economy, sci-tech innovation and aerospace, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Noting that China-Brazil relations are in their best shape ever, Li said both sides are working together to build a China-Brazil community with a shared future for a more just world and a more sustainable planet.

During Lula's visit to China in May, the two heads of state reached important consensus on pushing to build a China-Brazil community with a shared future and upholding multilateralism, Li said, adding that China is willing to work with Brazil to further consolidate and deepen bilateral cooperation in trade, finance and infrastructure development under the framework of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.

The Chinese premier also met with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Sunday on the sidelines of the 17th BRICS Summit. 

Li said that China is willing to work with Ethiopia to promote joint efforts by all parties to practice true multilateralism, and firmly safeguard economic globalization and free trade, Xinhua reported. 

First enlarged gathering

This BRICS Summit is taking place under distinctive circumstances that set it apart from previous gatherings, and comes at a critical juncture for global governance reform on the 80th anniversary of the United Nations, Xu Feibiao, director of the Center for BRICS and G20 Studies with the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times on Sunday.

"With the US bringing shockwaves to global economic landscape and accelerating the disintegration of the international order, the world is placing great hopes on BRICS to help stabilize the turbulent world and inject much-needed certainty into global affairs," Xu said.

As this will be the first enlarged BRICS meeting encompassing partner countries, Xu said, the outcomes will be crucial for determining the bloc's development trajectory. "While the enlarged membership has increased the group's collective weight and influence, it also faces challenges in internal coordination and external pressures seeking to divide the bloc. As to whether BRICS can translate its potential into concrete cooperative achievements, this summit is a crucial indicator of its future direction," Xu said. 

Elaborating on the significance of this gathering, Wang Youming, Director of the Institute of Developing Countries at the China Institute of International Studies, added that against the backdrop of US tariff policies severely impacting global trade, the summit is expected to further emphasize support for the WTO-centered multilateral framework while proposing specific measures to enhance diversified trade cooperation among members and reduce dependence on any single market.

Regarding geopolitical tensions, BRICS nations are expected to offer fresh thinking for a comprehensive, balanced and sustainable security perspective that rejects the pursuit of "absolute security" at the expense of other nations' sovereignty, Wang said.

"In the face of the resurgence of protectionism, it is up to emerging nations to defend the multilateral trade regime and reform the international financial architecture," the Brazilian President told a BRICS business forum on Saturday. BRICS nations now represent over half the world's population and 40 percent of its economic output, Lula noted, Reuters reported.

Lula also highlighted that BRICS nations outpaced global economic growth in 2024 with an average rate of 4 percent, compared to the world's average 3.3 percent, and noted the group's potential as a "hub for prosperous and dynamic economies," TV BRICS reported.

The BRICS group gathered leaders from Brazil, Russia, India and China at its first summit in 2009. The bloc later added South Africa and last year included Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as full members. 

This is the first leaders' summit to include Indonesia as a new member as well as 10 other partner countries. Meanwhile, over 30 nations have expressed interest in participating in BRICS, either as full members or partners, per media reports.

Since 2023, the BRICS mechanism has undergone two rounds of expansion, with a number of countries expressing interest in joining. This demonstrates the growing appeal and cohesion of BRICS amid global turbulence. "BRICS has now emerged as the vanguard of the Global South, and its continued expansion reflects developing nations' urgent desire for greater solidarity, sustainable development, and international peace," Xu told the Global Times. 

"Unlike Western-dominated exclusionary 'small cliques' such as the G7 and NATO which prioritize narrow geopolitical interests, BRICS emphasizes equal consultation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation, with a firm focus on shared development," Xu said.

AI governance, climate in key focus

On the agenda for this year's summit, Brazil, the rotating chair, said it will focus on six key topics, including global health cooperation, trade, investment and finance, and climate change. It is also emphasizing artificial intelligence, governance, multilateral peace and security architecture, and institutional development, per media reports.

Experts pointed to three areas that are believed to be key focuses for this year's summit. First, emphasis will be placed on climate change and green energy transition before November's COP 30 climate talks in the Amazonian city of Belem. Second, to prevent AI monopoly by the West and bridge the digital divide, the summit is expected to prioritize making AI development more accessible, equitable and secure for Global South nations. Third, they will reaffirm the commitment to multilateralism, particularly in global health cooperation, Wang told the Global Times on Sunday.

BRICS members will also continue their focus on the US' tariff policy, observers said. At an April ministerial meeting, the bloc expressed concern about "unjustified unilateral protectionist measures, including the indiscriminate increase of reciprocal tariffs," according to Reuters.

The deadline set for major trading partners of the US to strike deals with Washington or face hefty tariffs expires next week on July 9, bringing to a close 90 days of volatility but leaving global investors in the dark over what will happen next.

Prior to the summit, the BRICS Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting was held on Saturday in Rio de Janeiro. China's Minister of Finance Lan Foan said during the meeting that with global economic growth momentum weakening and protectionism severely impacting developing countries, BRICS nations should uphold the BRICS spirit of openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation. He emphasized the need to strengthen solidarity and jointly build a fair and reasonable global governance system, while remaining steadfast in embracing an economic globalization that is universally beneficial and inclusive.

China stands ready to work with all parties to support the operation and development of the New Development Bank, and will join fellow BRICS members in enhancing climate finance cooperation to bolster global climate action, Lan said.

The BRICS New Development Bank (NDB) announced on Saturday that Colombia and Uzbekistan have officially become new member countries, according to CCTV.

Since its establishment in 2015, the NDB has approved over 120 investment projects totaling $40 billion and spanning several key areas, including clean energy and energy efficiency, transport infrastructure, environmental protection, water supply and sanitation, social infrastructure and digital infrastructure, the NDB data showed.  

July 7 marked the second birthday of Rui Bao and Hui Bao, the adorable twin cubs of China's beloved pandas Ai Bao and Le Bao, who currently reside in South Korea.

Their home at the Everland theme park threw a special birthday party for the twins.  Panda enthusiasts from across South Korea gathered to join the celebration, CCTV News reported on Monday.

Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Dai Bing also visited the park on Monday, celebrating the second birthday of the pair of twin giant pandas together with park representatives and citizens of both China and South Korea, said the Chinese Embassy in South Korea via its official WeChat account. 

Dai expressed gratitude to the park and its caretakers for their attentive care of the giant panda family residing in South Korea. The panda family carries the heartfelt blessings of the Chinese people toward the people of South Korea, has garnered widespread affection among the South Korean public, and has become the most endearing ambassador promoting China-South Korea friendship, Dai said.

The ambassador mentioned that Fu Bao, the beloved first giant panda born in South Korea and who returned to China in 2024, is now living the good life in her homeland. He noted that China has implemented a visa-free entry policy for South Korean nationals, extending a warm invitation for more South Korean friends to visit China and see Fu Bao. 

Dai also expressed the hope that through people's interest in and affection for pandas, they would naturally develop a greater interest in and fondness for China.  

The party was their last with their mother before they begin life on their own as they transition into adulthood, the Korea JoongAng Daily reported.

The twin sisters enjoyed a lavish birthday party on Monday morning at the amusement park's Panda World, featuring a bamboo and flower cake one meter wide, cooled rocks, and bamboo toys. Zookeepers and 40 fans of the Bao family joined in the festivities, singing birthday songs and sharing messages of support, according to the report.

Their caretaker, Kang Cheol-won, who was affectionately given the nickname "Panda Grandpa" by panda fans, delivered birthday wishes in Putonghua, China News Service reported.

Wu, a fan of Rui Bao and Hui Bao from China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, flew to South Korea specifically to celebrate the duo's birthday. She told the Global Times on Monday that many fans had also made the trip to Everland for the celebration. "People were already lining up long before the park opened, and we waited for over two hours to get in," she said.

Wu said the park had crafted exclusive commemorative badges featuring the cubs' names and portraits, while its café launched limited-edition themed set menus.

She noted that the park regularly organizes a range of events to celebrate the pandas' birthdays. "Their sincere dedication in caring for our national treasures is palpable," she said.

Panda pair Le Bao and Ai Bao arrived in South Korea on March 3, 2016, beginning their stay at Everland.

Their first cub, Fu Bao, was born on July 20, 2020. On July 7, 2023, the couple welcomed twin daughters Rui Bao and Hui Bao - the first-ever giant panda twins born in South Korea.

In response to certain Western politicians and anti-China organizations that smear and attack Hong Kong's human rights and freedoms on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the implementation of the National Security Law (NSL) for Hong Kong, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Tuesday that since the implementation of the law, Hong Kong's legal system has become more robust, society has become more stable and united, and the rights and freedoms of Hong Kong residents have been more fully protected. 

Certain Western politicians and anti-China organizations, ignoring the objective facts, maliciously smeared "One Country, Two Systems" and slandered Hong Kong's legal system, fully exposing their sinister intentions to destabilize Hong Kong, the spokesperson said during a routine press conference. 

Underpinned by high-standard security safeguards, Hong Kong has achieved high-quality development, the spokesperson said, while sharing some data during the press conference. 

Hong Kong's GDP has maintained growth for nine consecutive quarters; its position as an international financial center remains among the top three in the world; its global competitiveness ranking has returned to the top three; foreign direct investment inflows rank third globally, and new stock fundraising this year ranks first in the world; air cargo throughput has maintained the global first place; its international shipping center development index is ranked fourth globally; talent competitiveness ranks in the global top 10; investment in Hong Kong has become a priority for many foreign chambers of commerce. These facts fully demonstrate Hong Kong's strong resilience and vitality, and its international appeal continues to grow, Mao said. 

"Today is a celebratory day marking the 28th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland. We firmly believe that with the steadfast support of the motherland, the strong protection of the 'One Country, Two Systems' policy, the commitment of the SAR government, and the joint efforts of all sectors of society, Hong Kong has a bright future and promising prospects," the spokesperson said.

China has decided to impose sanctions on former Philippines' senator Francis Tolentino for his egregious conduct on China-related issues and prohibit him from entering the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macao, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson announced on Tuesday. 

Chinese experts believe the sanctions are necessary and targeted, serving as a warning, since Tolentino's claims have seriously damaged China-Philippines relations and affected the lives of the Chinese community in the Philippines.

For quite some time, driven by selfish interests, a handful of anti-China politicians in the Philippines have made malicious remarks and moves on issues related to China that are detrimental to China's interests and China-Philippines relations. The Chinese government is firmly resolved to defend national sovereignty, security and development interests, said the spokesperson.

When asked to provide some specific examples of the "improper behavior" that led to Chinese sanctions, and more details as well as the reasons behind the sanctions, following the announcement the same day, another Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that the website of Chinese Foreign Ministry had released the sanction decision and elaborated on it, which you may refer to.

"Let me stress that there are consequences for hurting China's interests," Mao said.

Tolentino is one of the key figures behind the passage of the so-called "Act Declaring the Maritime Zones under the Jurisdiction of the Republic of the Philippines" in the Philippine Senate, newspaper Lianhe Zaobao reported.

With regard to the "Act Declaring the Maritime Zones under the Jurisdiction of the Republic of the Philippines" ("Maritime Zones Act") and the "Act Authorizing the President of the Philippines to Establish the Archipelagic Sea Lanes in Philippine Archipelagic Waters" ("Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act") announced by the Republic of the Philippines on November 8, 2024, the Chinese Foreign Ministry solemnly stated in November 2024 that the Philippine Maritime Zones Act illegally includes China's Huangyan Dao and most of the islands and reefs of China's Nansha Qundao and relevant waters into the maritime zones of the Philippines, and attempts to enshrine the illegal award of the South China Sea arbitration in the form of domestic legislation. 

China strongly condemns and firmly rejects this as the move gravely infringes upon China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea. China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea shall by no means be affected by the enactment of the Act, said the statement.

Tolentino is the malicious driving force behind the so-called "Maritime Zones Act" pushed by the Philippines, which not only violates the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea but also contravenes the UN Charter and other relevant international laws, said Ding Duo, director of the Research Center for International and Regional Studies at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies. 

Yang Xiao, an international strategy scholar who has long tracked issues in the South China Sea, told the Global Times on Tuesday that the South China Sea has been an integral part of China's territory and maritime rights since ancient times, and he believed that Tolentino's actions in promoting "Maritime Zones Act" are one of the reasons China decided to impose sanctions on him.

Tolentino, leveraging his family's political influence, holds considerable sway in Philippine politics and has long maintained an anti-China stance, Ding said, further noting that Tolentino has consistently actively pushed laws to support the illegal ruling of the South China Sea arbitration and consolidate the Philippines' illegal claims.

Yang noted that Tolentino has also been hyping up the so-called "China threat" narrative, interfering in China's affairs and stirring up fear of China among the Philippine elite.

According to a May report by Philippine media outlet Rappler, Tolentino claimed that the Philippine Senate should launch probes into suspicions of Chinese espionage and interference in the country's 2025 elections. 

By presenting so-called evidence, he claimed that the Chinese Embassy in Manila hired a local public relations firm tasked with influencing public perception through fake social media accounts, while simultaneously attacking Philippine government policies seen as unfavorable to Beijing, the Straits Times reported in April.

In response to related inquiry, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun stated that China follows the principle of non-interference in other countries' domestic affairs. We have no interest in interfering in Philippine elections.

"Tolentino has seriously damaged China-Philippines relations and shows no political integrity," Ding said, adding that Tolentino often attacks people with fair views on China, accusing them of "selling out" the Philippines to smear his political opponents.

China's sanctions are not simply in response to rhetoric, but are based on actual actions that have harmed China's sovereignty and development interests, and they serve as a legal countermeasure, Yang said.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi here on Wednesday, with both sides expressing willingness to deepen cooperation and jointly address global challenges.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, noted that this year marks both the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the European Union (EU), and the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations.

The more complex and challenging the international landscape becomes, the more China and the EU, as two great civilizations and major forces, need to strengthen communication, enhance mutual trust, assume responsibilities, and serve as forces of global stability and certainty, he said.

Describing the upcoming China-EU leaders' meeting as a significant event taking place at a critical juncture, Wang said China looks forward to working with the EU to summarize the valuable experience and important insights from the past 50 years of the China-EU relations, and map out the future direction of dialogue and cooperation for the next 50 years, sending a clear, positive, and constructive signal to the world.

Meanwhile, Wang stressed that China has always supported European integration, calling on both sides to uphold multilateralism and free trade, safeguard international rules and order, promote peaceful resolution of international disputes, and join hands in addressing global challenges such as climate change.

He also underscored that China remains committed to high-quality development and high-level opening-up and voiced China's readiness to work with the EU to uphold the positioning as partners, deepen economic and trade cooperation, expand two-way openness, and properly handle differences through consultation to achieve mutual benefit and win-win results.

For her part, von der Leyen said the upcoming EU-China leaders' meeting will be the best opportunity for both sides to jointly mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties.

Highlighting the EU's commitment to developing stable and constructive ties with China, and mutually beneficial economic and trade cooperation, von der Leyen said she looks forward to in-depth discussions with Chinese leaders on issues of mutual concern, demonstrating the two sides' commitment and responsibility to deepen cooperation and jointly tackle global challenges such as climate change, thereby sending a strong and positive signal to the world.

Von der Leyen also reiterated that the EU will continue to adhere to the one-China policy.

China will hold an art exhibition from August to September to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, according to a press conference held by the State Council Information Office on Thursday.

A number of cultural events and outstanding cultural works were unveiled to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) and the World Anti-Fascist War, according to a press conference held by China's State Council Information Office on Thursday.

Lu Yingchuan, a vice minister of Culture and Tourism of China, said at the press conference that an evening gala will be held on September 3 in Beijing to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

From August to October, a series of outstanding stage performances will be held to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. Around 20 high-quality productions will be selected from across the country and staged in major theaters in Beijing for approximately 40 performances in total, according to Lu. 

Meanwhile, an art exhibition will be held at the National Art Museum of China from August to September. Over 300 artworks — including traditional Chinese paintings, oil paintings, prints, sculptures, and watercolors — will be selected from across the country for the exhibition. Lu said. 

Liu Jianguo, a deputy director of the National Radio and Television Administration, said that a large number of outstanding radio, television, and online audiovisual works and programs will be released, telling stories of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and promoting its enduring spirit.

"We are advancing the creation of a series of themed works that tell the story of the Chinese people's unyielding struggle before, during, and after the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, including the TV series Our Homeland and Eight Thousand Miles of Cloud and Moon," said Liu, adding that a series of documentaries and online docuseries on the theme of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression will be released throughout the year.

A dedicated commemorative exhibition will open its doors to the public on July 7 to mark the 80th anniversary of victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, said Luo Cunkang, curator of the Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.

by Xinhua writer Jiang Hanlu

On the banks of the shimmering Huangpu River that cuts through the Chinese metropolis of Shanghai sits the headquarters of the New Development Bank, co-founded by the BRICS countries more than a decade ago to foster the shared development of the world's emerging economies.

In his visit to this new landmark in China's financial center late April, Chinese President Xi Jinping told the bank's president and former Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff this multilateral institution has been a result of "a pioneering initiative for the Global South to seek strength through unity."

For the Chinese leader, the BRICS mechanism is a major platform for promoting cooperation among countries in the Global South. In the coming days, this year's BRICS summit will open in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro under the theme of "Strengthening Global South Cooperation for More Inclusive and Sustainable Governance."

Xi's April visit to the bank demonstrates his long-standing commitment to bolstering the solidarity and common development of the Global South, amplifying the role of over 6 billion people in a world fraught with uncertainty and challenges unseen in a century.
COLLECTIVE RISE

"The collective rise of the Global South is a distinctive feature of the great transformation across the world," Xi observed when addressing the "BRICS Plus" Dialogue held in Kazan, Russia, in October last year.

Much more than a pure geographical or economic term, the Global South refers to a community of emerging markets and developing countries that share similar historical experiences, development stages and goals, and political pursuits.

The concept of "South" was first coined in Antonio Gramsci's work "The Southern Question" written in 1926, in which the Italian Marxist philosopher highlighted the development gap between northern and southern Italy.

The rise of the Global South has been decades in the making. Back in 1955, the landmark Bandung Conference convened in Indonesia under the flag of solidarity, friendship and cooperation, marking the awakening of the Global South after centuries of Western colonial rule. In 1964, the Group of 77, a coalition of developing countries, was established in Geneva within the United Nations to promote South-South cooperation and form a new international economic order.

Through extensive cooperation, the countries of the Global South have emerged as a key driver of global growth. These countries have contributed as much as 80 percent of global growth over the past 20 years, with a share of global GDP increasing from 24 percent four decades ago to more than 40 percent today.

China, the world's largest developing country, is a natural member of the Global South. In 2004, the United Nations Development Programme included China in its list of more than 130 Global South countries in a report titled "Forging a Global South." Some Westerners have challenged China's position that it is part of the Global South. In response, Xi has provided a clear answer.

"As a developing country and a member of the Global South, China breathes the same breath with other developing countries and pursues a shared future with them," Xi once said.

Historically, China has suffered from Western colonialism and imperialism, much like other developing countries, said Cavince Adhere, a Kenya-based international relations scholar.

"Even today, despite inordinate success by Beijing to rise from the backwaters of development to be the second-largest economy in the world, as well as the first developing country to eliminate extreme poverty, China still faces common development challenges, and holds similar views regarding the current international order and global governance," he added. "Because of this, China has emerged as a strong champion for the legitimate rights and interests of many Global South countries."

LEAVING NO ONE BEHIND

Ahead of Xi's state visit to Brazil late last year, the Portuguese edition of the book "Up And Out Of Poverty" was officially launched in Rio de Janeiro. The book, first published in 1992, outlines Xi's perspectives on poverty eradication, local governance, reform and development when he worked in the formerly impoverished prefecture of Ningde in China's southeastern Fujian province.

Poverty has long ranked atop among the problems facing the Global South. With Xi's steadfast commitment and strong leadership, China has eradicated absolute poverty in its rural areas, a feat that no one had accomplished in China for thousands of years.

At the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro last year, Xi spoke with quiet conviction, recounting his lifelong dedication to poverty alleviation, from his time as a local official to his current role as China's top leader.

In his speech, Xi said a weaker bird can start early and fly high. "If China can make it, other developing countries can make it too. This is what China's battle against poverty says to the world," he said.

Xi's "weaker bird" metaphor originated from his book on poverty. His speech struck a chord with several foreign leaders, who asked the Chinese delegation whether they could share a copy of the speech.

The Chinese leader has placed great emphasis on development. For him, "development holds the master key to solving all problems," particularly when the global development gap continues to widen. Over the years, Xi has also been active in rallying global efforts to put development back on the international agenda as a central priority.

When attending the general debate of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly in 2021 via video, Xi proposed the Global Development Initiative, an international policy framework to promote sustainable development around the world. To date, the initiative has garnered the support and participation of over 100 countries and 20 international organizations.
To boost common development in the Global South, Xi has been promoting practical cooperation through major infrastructure projects within the Belt and Road Initiative. During his foreign visits over the years, Xi would launch or visit major projects, such as the Chancay Port in Peru, the Dushanbe No. 2 power plant in Tajikistan and the Colombo Port City in Sri Lanka. When hosting leaders of the Global South in Beijing, Xi would also discuss with them major projects for cooperation during their talks.

Xi believes that the Global South should be the main driving force for common development and that "On the path to modernization, no one, and no country, should be left behind." He also supports countries of the Global South exploring paths of modernization tailored to their distinctive national conditions, rather than following Western development models.

Also at last year's G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Xi outlined eight measures in support of Global South cooperation, ranging from high-quality Belt and Road cooperation to boosting development in Africa. Months earlier, at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Beijing last year, Xi unveiled 10 partnership actions and granted zero-tariff treatment on all product categories to the least developed countries with which it has diplomatic relations.
Gu Qingyang, associate professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, said, "China can play a positive role in the development of Global South countries," adding that Chinese technology and expertise in industrial development can support the modernization of the Global South's various regions.

EMPOWERING GLOBAL SOUTH IN INTERNATIONAL GOVERNANCE

As Xi once observed, in the face of global changes of the century, pursuing modernization and working for a more just and equitable international order are the sacred historic missions of Global South countries.

Xi described the BRICS countries as "leading members of the Global South," calling for building BRICS into "a primary channel for strengthening solidarity and cooperation among Global South nations and a vanguard for advancing global governance reform."

Since becoming Chinese president in 2013, Xi has always been a steadfast champion of BRICS cooperation. In Xiamen, he advocated for the "BRICS Plus" program at the 2017 BRICS summit, calling for more active participation from other emerging markets and developing nations. He played a crucial role in propelling the BRICS' historic expansion in 2023, ushering in the era of greater BRICS cooperation.

Effective coordination between BRICS members and other countries in the Global South has been adding more bricks to the global governance architecture. The New Development Bank exemplifies this effort.

Xi said the bank serves as "an important emerging force in the international financial system," which should work to "make the international financial system fairer and more equitable and effectively enhance the representation and say of emerging markets and developing countries."
Over the years, China, under Xi's leadership, has taken concrete steps to advocate for developing countries, help Global South countries enhance their representation and voice in international governance, and promote a more just and equitable international order.

At the 2022 G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, China took the lead in supporting the African Union (AU)'s membership in the G20. In their meeting on the sidelines of the summit, then Senegalese President Macky Sall, who was also the AU chairperson that year, thanked Xi for being the first to publicly support the AU's G20 membership.

The global leadership today remains lopsided, and rebalancing this skewed system is a shared imperative for both the Global North and South, said Paolo Magri, managing director and chair of the advisory board of the Italian Institute for International Political Studies, a think tank.

"Global South countries marching together toward modernization is monumental in world history and unprecedented in human civilization," Xi said at the "BRICS Plus" Dialogue in Kazan, Russia, last year, while acknowledging that "the road to prosperity for the Global South will not be straight."

"No matter how the international landscape evolves, we in China will always keep the Global South in our heart, and maintain our roots in the Global South," Xi pledged.

The tempo of a male elephant seal’s call broadcasts his identity to rival males, a new study finds.

Every male elephant seal has a distinct vocalization that sounds something like a sputtering lawnmower — pulses of sound in a pattern and at a pace that stays the same over time.

At a California state park where elephant seals breed each year, researchers played different variations of an alpha male’s threat call to subordinate males who knew him. The seals weren’t as responsive when the tempo of that call was modified substantially, suggesting they didn’t recognize it as a threat. Modifying the call’s timbre — the acoustic quality of the sound — had the same effect, researchers report August 7 in Current Biology. Unlike dolphins and songbirds, elephant seals don’t seem to vary pitch to communicate.
Those vocal name tags serve a purpose. During breeding season, male elephant seals spend three months on land without food or water, competing with rivals for social status and mating rights. Fights between two blubbery car-sized animals can be brutal.

“We’ve seen males lose their noses,” says Caroline Casey, a biologist at the University of California, Santa Cruz. For lower-ranking males, identifying an alpha male by his call and then backing off might prevent a beach brawl.

Neandertals took stick-to-itiveness to a new level. Using just scraps of wood and hot embers, our evolutionary cousins figured out how to make tar, a revolutionary adhesive that they used to make formidable spears, chopping tools and other implements by attaching sharp-edged stones to handles, a new study suggests.

Researchers already knew that tar-coated stones date to at least 200,000 years ago at Neandertal sites in Europe, well before the earliest known evidence of tar production by Homo sapiens, around 70,000 years ago in Africa. Now, archaeologist Paul Kozowyk of Leiden University in the Netherlands and colleagues have re-created the methods that these extinct members of the human genus could have used to produce tar.
Three straightforward techniques could have yielded enough adhesive for Neandertals’ purposes, Kozowyk’s team reports August 31 in Scientific Reports. Previous studies have found that tar lumps found at Neandertal sites derive from birch bark. Neandertal tar makers didn’t need ceramic containers such as kilns and didn’t have to heat the bark to precise temperatures, the scientists conclude.
These findings fuel another burning question about Neandertals: whether they had mastered the art of building and controlling a fire. Some researchers suspect that Neandertals had specialized knowledge of fire control and used it to make adhesives; others contend that Neandertals only exploited the remnants of wildfires. The new study suggests they could have invented low-tech ways to make tar with fires, but it’s not clear whether those fires were intentionally lit.

“This new paper demystifies the prehistoric development of birch-bark tar production, showing that it was not predicated on advanced cognitive or technical skills but on knowledge of familiar, readily available materials,” says archaeologist Daniel Adler of the University of Connecticut in Storrs, who did not participate in the study.
Kozowyk’s group tested each of three tar-making techniques between five and 11 times. The lowest-tech approach consisted of rolling up a piece of birch bark, tying it with wood fiber and covering it in a mound of ashes and embers from a wood fire. Tar formed between bark layers and was scraped off the unrolled surface. The experimenters collected up to about one gram of tar this way.

A second strategy involved igniting a roll of birch bark at one end and placing it in a small pit. In some cases, embers were placed on top of the bark. The researchers either scraped tar off bark layers or collected it as it dripped onto a rock, strip of bark or a piece of bark folded into a cup. The most tar gathered with this method, about 1.8 grams, was in a trial using a birch-bark cup placed beneath a bark roll with its lit side up and covered in embers.

Repeating either the ash-mound or pit-roll techniques once or twice would yield the relatively small quantity of tar found at one Neandertal site in Europe, the researchers say. Between six and 11 repetitions would produce a tar haul equal to that previously unearthed at another European site.

In a third technique, the scientists placed a birch-bark vessel for collecting tar into a small pit. They placed a layer of twigs across the top of the pit and placed pebbles on top, then added a large, loose bark roll covered in a dome-shaped coat of wet soil. A fire was then lit on the earthen structure. This method often failed to produce anything. But after some practice with the technique, one trial resulted in 15.7 grams of tar — enough to make a lump comparable in size to the largest chunks found at Neandertal sites.

An important key to making tar was reaching the right heat level. Temperatures inside bark rolls, vessels, fires and embers varied greatly, but at some point each procedure heated bark rolls to between around 200˚ and 400˚ Celsius, Kozowyk says. In that relatively broad temperature range, tar can be produced from birch bark, he contends.

If they exploited naturally occurring fires, Neandertal tar makers had limited time and probably relied on a simple technique such as ash mounds, Kozowyk proposes. If Neandertals knew how to start and maintain fires, they could have pursued more complex approaches.

Some researchers say that excavations point to sporadic use of fire by Neandertals, probably during warm, humid months when lightning strikes ignited wildfires. But other investigators contend that extinct Homo species, including Neandertals, built campfires (SN: 5/5/12, p. 18).

Whatever the case, Kozowyk says, “Neandertals could have invented tar with only basic knowledge of fire and birch bark.”