Srivatsan asked: Is it justified to include China as a part of the “Global South” in the present context?

Gunjan Singh replies: Global South represents the countries of Africa, South America, South Asia and other developing countries of the world. Even though China today is comparatively more developed, it can still be regarded as a part of the Global South. In the past few years, China has become increasingly active in organisations like BRICS that represent countries mainly belonging to the Global South. In fact, China aspires to lead groupings like BRICS rather than being part of the G2 as proposed by the United States.

Considering China’s huge population, low per capita income, uneven distribution of wealth and regional disparities, it is still a developing economy when compared with the Global North. Another important area is Human Development Index where China ranks at the middle level. In addition, China negotiates with the developed countries particularly in multilateral forums on issues like trade regime, environment, technology and climate change from a developing country perspective.

Another area where China is not part of the Global North is advanced technology and innovation. The Global North is also known for its organised and advanced banking and financial system that is easily accessible for the masses. This is again something where China is still way behind though the present leadership seems to be acting on this front.

Posted on August 25, 2014