In contrast to the 1990s era of WTO-driven tech cooperation, today's digital world lacks inclusive governance amid intensifying great power competition. China's Digital South Initiative, first proposed at BRICS and later advanced at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, seeks to bridge that gap. Peking University professor Zha Daojiong says the initiative emphasizes equity between the Global North and South, local innovation over imitation, and using AI to serve livelihoods, not just power or profit.