China-championed institute bolsters South-South cooperation a decade on

Ten years on, China-championed Institute of South-South Cooperation and Development (ISSCAD) has played a pivotal role in bolstering Global South solidarity, talent cultivation and sustainable development cooperation, according to diplomats, scholars and alumni.

The Global South Sustainable Development Forum convened alongside the 10th Anniversary Conference of ISSCAD at the prestigious Peking University on Wednesday.

Abigail Shoniwa, Zimbabwe's ambassador to China, said that the Global South now accounts for over 40% of the world's GDP and nearly 60% of the global population while addressing the event.

"The collective voice of the Global South is not a whisper, but a force reshaping the global governance," said Shoniwa.

In his speech, Justin Lin Yifu, honorary dean of  ISSCAD, said that as the once-in-a-century transformations unfold at an accelerating pace, the Global South, though confronting growing challenges, is seeing its status and influence in international affairs continue to rise.

In this context, Lin emphasized that solidarity and cooperation among Global South nations are more critical than ever to jointly address challenges and seize opportunities.

As the world's only academic and research institution dedicated to training senior government officials from developing countries, ISSCAD stands out with increasingly prominent strategic significance, he said.

China announced the idea to establish an institute of South-South cooperation and development at the summit of the 70th anniversary of the United Nations in September 2015, and ISSCAD was formally established on April 29, 2016.

Official data shows that over the past decade, focusing on key fields including national governance, poverty reduction and economic development, ISSCAD has cultivated more than 500 master's and doctoral graduates from over 80 countries, among whom over 30 hold vice-ministerial-level official positions.

Feleke Kebede Bedada, minister plenipotentiary of the Ethiopian Embassy to China, said on Wednesday that ISSCAD alumni are well positioned to act as a vital bridge for South-South cooperation.

Having studied here, they gain valuable insights and problem-solving perspectives to apply back in their respective nations, Bedada said on the sidelines of the Wednesday event.

Eric Dodoo-Amoo, a 2022-class doctoral graduate, told CGTN Digital that over the past 10 years, the cooperation between China and the Global South have transformed from initial financing and infrastructure relationship to knowledge sharing and technology cooperation, as well as trade. 

Commenting on China's decision to expand zero-tariff treatment to all African countries that have diplomatic relations with it starting May 1, 2026 – adding 20 more nations including Ghana – Dodoo-Amoo, who also heads the China Desk at Ghana's Ministry of Finance, described the policy as "potentially transformative."

He noted the long-term opportunity lies not merely in expanding export volumes, but in leveraging the policy window to anchor industrial planning, attract Chinese and domestic investment into agro-processing, light manufacturing and resource beneficiation, and translate raw material advantages into genuine structural transformation.