中文
By Xia Fangting
Political parties in the Global South are increasingly acting as the primary architects of national development, and they are redefining how states see their own place in the world, an Italian economist said at a Beijing forum on June 26. That shift, he said, is helping build a more equitable system of global governance.
Pompeo Della Posta, an Italian economist and professor at the Belt and Road School at Beijing Normal University, made the remarks at the 2026 Think Tank Forum on National Governance in Developing Countries.
Pompeo Della Posta, Italian economist and professor at the Belt and Road School at Beijing Normal University, speaks at the 2026 Think Tank Forum on National Governance in Developing Countries in Beijing, June 26, 2026. [Photo by Xia Fangting/Chinadiplomacy.org.cn]
Della Posta traced the origins of the Global South's collective awakening to the Bandung Conference 71 years ago, when 29 Asian and African countries gathered for the first time to assert a unified voice on the world stage. "We're here, we want to participate," he said, describing the spirit of that gathering.
He said the Global South is no longer simply asking to be represented. "It is increasingly contributing to global economic growth, technological innovation and international development. So it's becoming an increasingly important participant in debates about the future of global governance," he said.
Della Posta added that political parties must reconcile competition with cooperation, particularly in the Global South.
"There is a big difference between our political systems in Western countries and that in China," he said. "I'm now paying more attention to the political debate in my country. Sometimes it's frankly disturbing to see politicians there so bitterly divided, whereas here in China, they cooperate for the common good."
"The challenge, therefore, is not to choose between competition and cooperation, but to reconcile the two in the name of the public good," he said.
Della Posta also addressed the need for international institutions to evolve to reflect contemporary realities.
"International order is not a static achievement, but a continuous process of adaptation. And now that there are new players coming onto the global stage, the Global South countries, it's logical and necessary that these new players find their place," he said. "Institutions preserve their legitimacy only if they are capable of evolving to serve the societies that they are meant to serve."
He questioned the notion of a "rules-based order," arguing that it often serves to preserve the status quo.
Legal scholars' writing on the subject, he said, essentially reflects developed countries dictating what developing countries should follow, and any attempt to change that order gets developing countries labeled as "revisionists."
He called for adherence to international law as clearly defined in the United Nations Charter, which he said offers an explicitly written rule of law, unlike the "fuzzy" concept of a "rules-based order."
Themed "Mission and Contributions of Political Parties," the forum brought together scholars, policymakers and experts to discuss governance challenges and development pathways for emerging economies.
