On April 20, 2026, Dr. Jörg Friedrichs, Associate Professor in the Department of International Development at the University of Oxford, visited upon invitation and delivered an academic lecture on the theme of "The Global South between East and West". The lecture focused on the strategic positioning and behavioral logic of Global South countries against the backdrop of the ongoing transformation of the international order, and systematically analyzed the structural changes in the East-West competitive landscape and their far-reaching implications for global governance. The session was chaired by Dr. Lian Chenchao, Secretary-General of the World Politics Research Center at Chenghai Institute of Global Development and Security. Professor Huang Yuxing, Deputy Director of the World Politics Research Center at Chenghai Institute of Global Development and Security, served as the discussant.
At the beginning of the lecture, Professor Friedrichs reviewed the historical evolution of concepts such as the "Third World" and the "Global South". He pointed out that the international structure during the Cold War was centered on the confrontation between the Eastern and Western blocs. Developing countries were largely regarded as the peripheral zone in the bipolar system. However, since the end of the Cold War, especially against the backdrop of renewed intensification of major-power competition in recent years, the "Global South" has gradually become an important concept for analyzing international politics. Unlike in the past, today's Global South is not a monolithic "collection of the weak". Countries including India, Brazil, and Indonesia have been growing in influence in international affairs, and China also identifies itself as "an important member of the Global South". Therefore, the Global South is not only a designation for the group of developing countries but also a key variable in the restructuring of the contemporary international order.
On the theoretical level, drawing on a Neo-Gramscian perspective, Professor Friedrichs interpreted the contemporary international structure as a process of "hegemonic competition" rather than a simple power transition. He emphasized that hegemony entails more than just coercive power; more importantly, it involves the "construction of consent"—that is, the formation of a relatively stable order through interactions at the political, economic, and normative levels. Centered on this framework, he conducted his analysis across three dimensions: politics, economy, and values.
Politically, for many Global South countries, the core of national security is not traditional external military threats, but political stability and state-building. As a result, the security cooperation models offered by different major powers vary in their appeal. Security assistance from some Western countries often comes with political conditions attached, whereas cooperation advocated by some Eastern countries places greater emphasis on respect for sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs. To some extent, these differences have shaped the choices of Global South nations.
Economically, development financing and infrastructure construction represent practical needs faced by countries of the Global South. In terms of financing models, traditional Western development assistance differs from loan-based cooperation led by Eastern countries in structure and conditions. Meanwhile, critical mineral resources, energy supply, and the restructuring of global value chains have also granted Global South nations greater bargaining leverage in major-power competition.
Normatively, the memory of colonial history, the issue of the right to development, and doubts about the fairness of international rules constitute important normative aspirations of the Global South. In multilateral fora such as the United Nations, voting behaviors on issues including the Palestinian question and international sanctions reflect complex policy orientations among Global South countries in terms of their normative positions.
Empirically, Professor Friedrichs cited voting data from the United Nations General Assembly and pointed out that on issues where China and the United States hold divergent positions, Global South countries seldom take sides straightforwardly; instead, they make strategic choices based on specific issues. He characterized this phenomenon as the feature of "swing states". Such "swinging" does not imply ambiguous positions, but rather pragmatic diplomacy based on trade-offs of national interests. In a highly interdependent international system, Global South countries may cooperate with the East on certain economic issues while aligning with the West on other institutional issues. This multi-dimensional diplomacy reflects the complexity of contemporary international politics.
On the future trajectory of the current international order, Professor Friedrichs raised an open question: is the present era one of hegemonic decline and transition, or a prolonged "stalemate" of sustained competition? He noted that, in contrast to the Cold War period, today's global economy is highly interconnected, with deeply embedded technological and financial networks, making full decoupling or systemic fragmentation extremely costly. Against this backdrop, a state of "stability through competition" is far more likely to emerge than outright replacement or intense confrontation.
In the discussion session, Professor Huang Yuxing highly commended the theoretical innovations presented by Professor Friedrichs, and raised further questions for discussion concerning conceptual categorization, measurement methods, the relations between Western and Eastern countries, and the role of non-state actors. During the Q&A session, students at the venue raised questions on topics including digital colonialism and the conditionality of development assistance, and engaged in in-depth exchanges with Professor Friedrichs. The discussion was lively and interactive.
Featuring a clear theoretical framework and rich empirical materials, this lecture offered a systematic analytical perspective for understanding the role of the Global South in the restructuring of the international order. Against the backdrop of increasingly complex major-power competition and the emergence of a growing number of global governance issues, the policy choices of Global South countries carry both theoretical and practical significance.