While China is busy courting developing countries with its focus on sending billions of dollars to poor nations in what is known as its "debt-trap trick", Prime Minister Narendra Modi has presented India as a different kind of leader of the "Global South" by setting the narrative of "development, self-reliance and autonomy" for the diverse group of 130-odd countries. PM Modi's focus on "development priorities" of these countries at the second "Voice of Global South Summit" hosted by India virtually on Friday further cemented New Delhi's position as a responsible voice and leader of the group which encapsulates two-thirds of the world's population, and covers Africa, the Middle East, Asia, the Pacific Islands, Latin America and the Caribbean. He gave substantial ground for the countries of the Global South to rally behind India in the on-going march towards the goals of development and self-reliance.
There was a clear signal for a belligerent China even as PM Modi said "the message from the summit is that the Global South wants its autonomy and it is ready to take big responsibilities in world affairs." External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar also took a veiled swipe at China, saying that the Global South should focus on self-reliance by diversifying production, building reliable supply chains and promoting local solutions to overcome perils of dependence on far away geographies.
The second virtual summit of the developing countries ended up with India reaffirming the fact that it is better positioned than China to lead the Global South efficiently and effectively. In fact, China has been increasingly positioning itself as leader of this group, but it has always betrayed the fact that Beijing's outreach to the Global South is driven by ulterior motives and strategic agendas. China is also sparing no effort to prevent India from assuming the leadership role in the Global South.
This story is from the November 19, 2023 edition of The Sunday Guardian.
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This story is from the November 19, 2023 edition of The Sunday Guardian.
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