CGTN article – Havana residents hope the Group of 77 (G77) + China summit will be a driving force for closer cooperation between developing countries.
“Developing countries need to develop, fight poverty and address other problems that affect them”architect Eddy Regueiro told CGTN before the event, which was held Friday and Saturday in the Cuban capital.
«I hope the summit will focus on ways to achieve sustainable development by using science and technology to find more innovative ways for developing countries to evolve.»said sociology student Samantha Ross.
Their expectations echo the Havana Declaration approved 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.
Made up of 134 developing countries, the G77 closed the Havana summit on September 16, declaring the date as the Day of Science, Technology and Innovation in the Global South.
Reduce the digital divide
During the summit, Li Xi, special representative of the Chinese president Xi Jinping, also a member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), called on all countries to benefit equally from digital technologies. He also said that no developing country should be left behind or abandoned in the development of new technologies and industries.
At the 17th G20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia in November 2022, President Xi Jinping said it is important to close the digital divide and countries should jointly promote global connectivity in the digital era and take effective measures to promote digital culture and skills for all.
According to the Chinese president, It is particularly important to help developing countries and disadvantaged groups adapt to digital transformation and strive to reduce the digital divide.
To close the digital divide, China has established the Digital Silk Road cooperation mechanism with 17 countries and the Advanced Electronic Silk Road bilateral cooperation mechanism with 29 countries, Assistant Minister of Commerce said in March. Chen Chunjiang.
Speaking at the summit, African Union Chairman and Comoros President Azali Assoumani praised China’s efforts to promote global economic development with digital cooperation, saying that digital cooperation is an important part of the Initiative. of the Belt and Road.
Promotion of South-South cooperation
Li Xi also stressed that South-South cooperation is always a priority for China.
“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 the Global South.declared.
At the BRICS-Africa meeting and BRICS Plus Dialogue in Johannesburg in August, President Xi Jinping announced that China had established a Global Fund for Development and South-South Cooperation with total funding of $4 billion, and that the Chinese financial institutions will soon create a special fund of 10 billion dollars dedicated to the implementation of the Global Development Initiative (GDI).
Djibouti Prime Minister Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed said South-South cooperation was an important way to promote solidarity. He also praised the IDM, which made it possible to achieve many fruitful cooperations in Southern countries during the summit.
Li Xi quoted a Chinese saying: “When brothers are like-minded, they can cut metal with their combined strength.”urging G77 members and China to promote cooperation in food security, poverty reduction, industrialization, sustainable development, digital technology and artificial intelligence.
Global governance reform
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday urged G77 members and China to defend a multilateral system based on equality, serving all humanity and not just the privileged.
Science, technology and innovation can promote solidarity and solve common problems, but today they often exacerbate inequalities and reinforce divisions, according to A. Guterres.
China’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday issued a position paper on global governance reform and development, outlining China’s position and proposals in key areas of global governance.
Regarding scientific development, China emphasized that scientific and technological advances should benefit all humanity and not become means to restrict and contain the development of other countries.
The proposal emphasizes that developing countries should fully enjoy the right to the peaceful use of science and technology to facilitate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and respond effectively to the security risks posed by scientific and technological development.
The rest, China to strengthen international exchanges and cooperation in science and technology with more open mind and actionswill work with other countries to foster an open, fair, equitable and non-discriminatory environment for the development of science and technology, and encourage mutual and shared benefits.
