The most significant takeaway from the September G20 Summit in New Delhi was the emergence of the Global South as a key political voice in a bitterly divided world.

Judging from a lengthy slate of indicators, discounting China’s position in the world economy over a momentary economic slowdown would be a mistake. Failing to understand China’s recent progress and future ambitions could lead the United States to squander its own long-term advantages.

First used by American political activist Carl Oglesby during the Vietnam War era, the concept expanded rapidly in academic circles in the United States and Europe. The U.S. and others have attempted to exclude China from the list.

China welcomed the addition of the African Union as a full member — a move that will further elevate the representation and voice of the Global South in international governance and contribute to further global democratization. This is precisely what China has been striving for.

Countries in the group are playing an increasingly vital role in international affairs and have become an integral part of existing international multilateral mechanisms. Now the group is expanding to include even more.

With its expanded membership, the BRICS group has raised expectations for the Global South. It will promote democracy in international relations and ultimately achieve the goal of rebalancing the global power structure.

China’s influence in developing countries is crucial to its diplomacy. In the tumultuous China-U.S. rivalry, these relationships are crucial. China should promote quality and efficiency as it cooperates with other developing nations to bolster the overall interests of the Global South.

If China and the United States could identify specific collaborative projects, break the bottlenecks of international supply chains and provide assistance to countries suffering from shortages from food to energy, normal relations could be restored.

From the Chinese perspective, the future international order is likely to see both continuity and change. Despite its flaws, it is better than any alternative. It’s time for world leaders to wake up and work together to defend and improve the system.

Up till now, the fighting has been going on for over 100 days, with the two warring sides still in an offensive and defensive stalemate. Questions about this ongoing crisis can be listed in a long line, most of which no one can answer at this time. Yet among all the uncertainties, one thing is certain: what the Russian troops crossed on February 24 was not simply the land border between Russia and Ukraine, but rather more symbolically, the River Rubicon of the post-cold war international order.