South-South Cooperation Day: China's role in turning aid into agency

Editor's note: Stephen Ndegwa, a special commentator for CGTN, is the executive director of South-South Dialogues, a Nairobi-based communications development think tank. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN. 

Each year on September 12, the world celebrates the United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation, a commemoration of the Buenos Aires Plan of Action adopted in 1978 to strengthen technical collaboration among developing nations. Over the past four decades, this model of solidarity has grown into an important platform for financing, knowledge exchange and collective problem-solving across the Global South.

While the day is an opportunity to celebrate progress, it is also a moment to reflect on what South-South cooperation should mean in the 21st century: not just financial assistance, but genuine empowerment. In this regard, China, the world's largest developing country, is playing a decisive role.

China has long emphasized that it is not only a participant but a driver of South-South cooperation. In 2021, President Xi Jinping launched the Global Development Initiative (GDI), a framework designed to accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda. Since then, Beijing has pledged billions of dollars in funding, including a $10 billion special fund to support projects under the GDI.

At international forums, China has backed these financial commitments with loans, grants and infrastructure partnerships, most recently providing 2 billion yuan (about $281 million) in grants and an additional 10 billion yuan in loans to member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). These initiatives represent significant financial muscle, but the real test lies in whether they generate local capacity rather than dependency.

The importance of this distinction cannot be overstated. Developing countries do not just need money. They also need the tools, skills and technologies to create their own growth engines. In this area, China's contribution has gone well beyond the traditional donor model. One example is the FAO-China South-South Cooperation Programme, through which Chinese agricultural experts have transferred more than 450 technologies to countries across Africa, benefiting over 30,000 farmers with improved farming techniques. These are not handouts, but long-term knowledge assets that can transform local food systems.

In science and technology, China has invested in establishing joint laboratories and vocational training centers in countries such as Ethiopia, Mongolia and Indonesia. These facilities focus on everything from hydropower to biopolymers, enabling partner nations to adapt Chinese innovations to local conditions. These initiatives signal a willingness to focus on building institutional strength rather than simply showcasing largesse.

Perhaps the most striking sign of China's evolving role lies in its extension of cooperation into frontier technologies. In Africa, Beijing has actively supported satellite programs and built infrastructure such as the assembly, integration and test center in Egypt, offering both facilities and training so that African scientists can develop their own space capabilities.

On the digital side, China has proposed a new global organization for artificial intelligence cooperation, arguing that developing nations deserve an inclusive seat at the table in shaping standards and applications. With transparent and collaborative management, these steps could democratize access to cutting-edge technology and prevent a widening digital divide.

China has further demonstrated its commitment to South–South cooperation by working closely with partner nations to ensure that projects remain sustainable and beneficial. Through initiatives such as the Special Loan Program for China-Latin America Infrastructure Project and SCO Interbank Consortium, China has shown flexibility and a spirit of solidarity, showcasing how these financing practices embody the principles of partnership, resilience and mutual prosperity that define South–South cooperation.

Beyond infrastructure, China's engagement has extended to capacity-building, technology transfers and skills development, ensuring that local communities benefit directly from these partnerships.

On this UN Day for South-South Cooperation, the key question is not simply what China is giving, but what it is enabling. Financial assistance matters, but it is knowledge and technology that create the conditions for independence and resilience. If China continues to combine resources with real capacity-building, it can help the Global South not just survive, but thrive. That would mark the true spirit of South-South solidarity, solidarity that is not defined by transfer, but by transformation.

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