Some 500 journalists, scholars, government officials, and entrepreneurs from 110 countries or international and regional organizations gathered on September 5th in southwest China’s Yunnan Province for the Global South Media and Think Tank Forum 2025.
Their common aspiration is to transform the Global South’s growing economic influence — representing 40 percent of global GDP and 80 percent of global growth — into an equally powerful voice in international discussions and communication.
Within five days of meeting, participants will brainstorm and contribute their wisdom to translate the forum theme, “empowering the global south, navigating global changes,” into tangible solutions for practical projects.
Plenary sessions on September 6th will alternate with focused workshops on peace-building narratives, AI-driven newsrooms, heritage preservation, and other topics.
A joint pledge and formal launch
Two signature documents are scheduled to be released — the Yunnan Consensus, a joint pledge to expand cooperative production of news and analysis, and a research report on China’s contribution to global public intellectual products, which distils best practices from the country’s South-South initiatives.
Formal launch of the Global South Joint Communication Partnership Network
The event also marks the formal launch of the Global South Joint Communication Partnership Network, which features more than 1,000 media outlets, think tanks, and other institutions across 95 countries and regions.
This is the second edition of the forum, and the first was held last November in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Experts and intellectuals attending the forum point out that Global South countries have long been in a weak position in the international public opinion arena. Often as objects of observation, narration and shaping, their voices have been drowned out, their stories distorted, and the truth behind them obscured.
Watch a short video of the Global South media and think tank 2025 mini expo here
Source: Xinhua News Agency
