JOHANNESBURG – As delegates streamed into the sunlit halls of a Johannesburg conference venue on Thursday morning, there was a sense of purpose that went beyond routine diplomatic gathering. The world, many agreed, is at a crossroads and the Global South is no longer content to stand on the sidelines.
The occasion was the opening of the Global South Media and Think Tank Forum China-Africa Partnership Conference, a two-day meeting that brought together more than 200 journalists, scholars, policymakers and media leaders from China, 41 African nations and the African Union. Their mission: to explore how developing nations can help reshape global governance in an era of uncertainty.
At the heart of the discussions was a new report released by the Xinhua Institute, which argues that the international community is confronting a profound “leadership deficit.” Conflicts are multiplying, development is uneven, and global institutions are under strain. Yet in this moment of crisis, the report suggests, lies a rare opportunity: the chance to build a more just and rational global governance system.
According to the Xinhua study, the international system is undergoing its most significant stress test in decades. Multilateral bodies, particularly the United Nations, are accelerating reforms to break longstanding deadlocks and rebuild trust. But perhaps the most striking shift is the growing influence of the Global South.
From climate diplomacy to international finance, developing countries are no longer passive recipients of global rules—they are shaping them. “The Global South has taken the initiative to set agendas,” the report notes, highlighting a rising chorus of coordinated voices.
China, it says, is playing a “constructive force” in this evolving landscape. Through steady domestic development, sustained partnerships abroad, and an emphasis on civilizational dialogue, Beijing is seeking to help strengthen global leadership at a time when the world needs it most.
Nowhere is this momentum more visible than in China-Africa relations. Over the past decade, through the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), China has unveiled landmark cooperation plans — the Ten Cooperation Plans, Eight Major Initiatives and Nine Programs — that have become blueprints for development across the continent.
At the conference, Xinhua’s editor-in-chief Lyu Yansong took to the stage and opened his keynote with a familiar African saying: “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.”
It was a rallying call. He urged media and think tanks from both sides to strengthen solidarity and expand collaboration, especially as the world grapples with political fragmentation and misinformation.
Chinese Ambassador to South Africa Wu Peng echoed this sentiment, describing the future of China-Africa relations in three words: partnership, practicality and prospects. China, he said, is ready to work with African nations to advance the outcomes of the FOCAC Beijing Summit and “speed up the common modernization of China and Africa.”
African leaders shared similar optimism. AU’s Leslie Richer noted that Africa has spent decades cultivating a relationship with China built on respect and shared ambition — a partnership capable of amplifying African voices globally. Sierra Leone’s Deputy Minister of Planning Jonathan Titus-Williams described the relationship as one rooted in “mutual respect, equality and a collective aspiration for a just and peaceful world.”
One of the highlights of the event was the launch of a new communication partnership network, “United in Heart, Path and Action, 2026 China-Africa Partnership Empowerment Action Plan.”
Its aim: to create platforms that foster collaborative storytelling, fairer narratives and stronger media cooperation.
Najeh Missaoui, head of the Tunis Africa News Agency, pointed out that media is no longer just an observer. It shapes debates, influences decisions and fosters understanding — making it a crucial force in building an inclusive global governance system. Gambian Information Minister Ismaila Ceesay added that China’s support for media training and technology transfer is already transforming African news sectors.
For many Africans, the China-Africa partnership is not an abstract diplomatic relationship, it is visible in everyday life.
Follow the road networks stretching across Kenya, the new railways in Ethiopia, or the thriving China-Egypt TEDA Suez Economic Zone in Ain Sokhna, and the scale becomes clear. Over the past 25 years of FOCAC, China and Africa have built or upgraded nearly 100,000 kilometers of roads and more than 10,000 kilometers of railways. In just the last three years, Chinese enterprises have generated more than 1.1 million jobs across the continent.
In Madagascar, hybrid rice technology developed with Chinese experts is helping boost food security. In Mauritania, a China-Africa Green Technology Park supports local climate efforts. These are not isolated projects — they are part of a continent-wide modernization drive fueled by cooperation.
Iqbal Survé, chairman of South Africa’s Independent Media, called the partnership “a beacon of what genuine cooperation can achieve.”
As discussions continued, one theme echoed across panels and speeches: the future of global governance will not be shaped by any single country, but by the collective leadership of many.
Former AU Commission Deputy Chairperson Erastus Mwencha said the ethos behind Africa’s Ubuntu philosophy — “I am because we are” — aligns closely with China’s vision of a shared future for humanity.
And for scholars like Peter Kagwanja of the Africa Policy Institute, deeper China-Africa engagement within the Global Governance Initiative offers “the surest pathway to a reformed and inclusive system.”
As the forum drew to a close, attendees agreed that they were part of something larger than a conference. They were contributing to a conversation about the future, one in which the Global South is not only present, but leading.
In a world searching for stability, their message was clear: progress must be shared, and leadership must be collective.
