Intro: Back-to-back to the 2015 Sustainable Development Summit, China hosted the South-South Cooperation roundtable. The meeting was hosted jointly by Chinese president Xi Jinping and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, and went basically unnoticed by the international and Chinese media. There already, Xi Jinping outlined China’s determination to play a greater role in global governance – on the platform of South-South cooperation. While Xi relied on the traditional language of the Non-Aligned Movement, stating that “South-South Cooperation is about solidarity and mutual assistance” 南南合作是团结互助的合作 and above stressing the “respect each other’s independent choice of development path and social systems” 尊重各国自主选择发展道路和社会制度, he also showed that China in fact has a very clear vision of an aligned 对接 development path for the “developing countries” 发展中国家:
[We must] work on promoting the alignment of development strategies of various countries. […] bring into play our comparative advantages, strengthen macro-economic coordination and form strong synergies for development. We need to identify priority areas and directions for cooperation and promote all-round development in economic, financial, investment, infrastructure development and environmental cooperation to help improve overall competitiveness of developing countries. […] South-South cooperation must be result-oriented rather then being empty talk. In priority areas of connectivity and production capacity we need to pull resources in undertaking a number of flagship and landmark projects with strategic impact and exemplary effect. We need to build our own financing platforms, and make full use of new mechanisms including the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the New Development Bank of BRICS countries to provide stronger impetus for South-South Cooperation.
…应该致力于促进各国发展战略的对接 。… 我们要发挥各自比较优势，加强宏观经济政策协调，形成强大的发展合力。要找准合作优先领域和方向，推动经贸，金融，投资，基础设施，绿色环保等领域，合作齐头并进，提高发展中国家整体竞争力。南南合作不能流于空谈，要真正落到实处。我们要以互联互通，产能合作为突破口，集中力量做成一批具有战略和示范意义的旗舰项目，精品项目。要让每个项目开花节果，产生良好的经济，社会，环境效益，惠及普通的民众。要搭建自由融资平台，充分发挥亚洲基础设施投资银行，金砖国家新开发银行等新机制作用，为南南务实合作增添动力。
It is a technologically centered outlook on development, which – while probably indeed leaving others the space for an independent choice of a social 社会 system – has a very clearly defined understanding of how the economic 经济 development should happen. China’s vision of modernization is driven by technocratic rationality and the centrality of technology. On the platform of South-South cooperation this vision is extended to the totality of “Southern” countries. Thus, logically, in the realms of modernization as ideology there is no space for those who don’t want to develop.
The Chinese full text of the Xi Jinping’s speech was posted at the Chinese website of United Nations Radio. Here is the full translation:
| Dear colleagues, good afternoon. Thank you for attending the High Level Round-table on South-South Cooperation. It gives me a great pleasure to co-chair the round-table with secretary-general Ban Ki-moon and meet friends both, old and new, to discuss South-South Cooperation. | 各位同事，下午好。感谢大家出席南南合作圆桌会。今天同潘基文秘书长一起主持会议。同各位新老朋友共叙友谊，共商合作，我感到非常的高兴。 |
| As I come to the UN Headquarters, I cannot but think of Mr. Deng Xiaoping’s visit to New York in 1974. He was here to attend the 6th special session of the UN General Assembly, which was the first time for a state leader of the People’s Republic of China to address the UN. Back then I was still in my early twenties as head of a remote poor village in the Loess Plateau in Northwestern China, I devoted myself heart and soul to explore the way to help the masses shake off poverty. In his speech at the UN General Assembly, Mr. Deng Xiaoping said that China is a developing country and China belongs to the Third World. Now, more then 40 years later, despite the evolving international landscape, development remains a main theme of our times. China has come a long way in its development but it is still a developing country and stays as committed as ever to South-South Cooperation. Our very aim in proposing this round-table is to further elevate and deepen South-South Cooperation. | 这次到联合国总部参会，令我想起1974年邓小平先生出席了联合国大会的第六界特别会议的情景。那是新中国领导人第一次登上联合国的讲坛。那时我还是个二十出头的年轻人，我那个时候是在中国的陕北高原的农村里，做一个村里的负责人。当时也是在苦苦思索着 ，如何使群众能够脱贫致富。邓小平先生在那次联大的会议发言中指出中国是一个发展中国家，中国属于第三世界。四十年过去了，虽然国际形式风云变换，但发展这一时代主题没有改变。中国虽然取得了巨大的发展成就，但仍然是一个发展中国家，对南南合作仍然重视如初。中方倡议召开这次圆桌会议，就是希望推动南南合作向更高水平，更深层次发展。 |
| South-South Cooperation started in the days when we fought together against imperialism and colonialism and flourished in the era of economic globalization. It is a pioneer endeavor for developing countries to achieve strengths trough unity and opens a new path towards common development and prosperity. | 南南合作始于反帝反殖斗争的峥嵘岁月。兴于经济全球化的时代大潮，是发展中国家联合自强的伟大创举，帮助我们开辟出一条崭新的发展繁荣之路。 |
| South-South Cooperation is based on equality and mutual trust. Politically we adhere to the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and basic norms governing international relations. We believe that countries big or small are all equal, and we stand for non-interference in each other’s internal affairs. We also respect each other’s independent choice of development path and social systems. | 南南合作是平等互信的合作。政治上，我们坚持和平共处五项原则，和国际关系基本准则。坚持大小国家一律平等，相互不干涉内政，尊重各国自主选择发展道路和社会制度。 |
| Economically, we respect each other’s wishes and do not impose our own views on others, capitalize on other’s difficulties or attach any political strings. South-South Cooperation aims at mutual benefit. We follow a right approach to justice and interests by putting justice before interests. We see other countries development as opportunities for ourselves and do not seek to maximize our own interests or see things from a zero-sum mentality, of “I win, you loose.” Instead we believe in pooling in sharing our strengths to jointly tap into the international market and fully integrate into global industrial chain and value chain, with a view of securing a favorable position in the new round of technological and industrial transformation for all developing countries. | 经济上，我们尊重对方意愿，不强人所难， 不趁人之危，不附加任何政治条件。 南南合作是互利共赢的合作，我们秉承义利相间，先义后利的正确的义利观，将他国发展当作自身的机遇。不追求利益最大化和我赢你输的零和模式。我们互通有无，优势互补，联手开发国际市场。全面的融入全球产业链，价值链。共同在新一轮科技革命和产业变革中，争取有利的地位。 |
| South-South Cooperation is about solidarity and mutual assistance. Through such international mechanisms as the Non-Aligned Movement and the Group of 77 we have maintained close communication and coordination and worked hard to safeguard international fairness and justice, and defend our legitimate rights and interests, serving as an important force for world peace and common development. We endeavor to accommodate the special needs of least developed countries, landlocked countries and island developing states and have provided assistance to these countries to help strengthen their capacity for self-generated growth. Dear colleagues, going forward, as developing countries continue to gain strength, we have every reason to believe that South-South Cooperation will contribute evermore to the rise of developing countries and to the strong, sustained, balanced and inclusive growth of the world economy. The UN conference on sustainable development has adopted the Post-2015 Development Agenda, which is the hard won result of the joint efforts of all developing countries. We need to build on this momentum to implement the Agenda and make even greater progress in the South-South Cooperation. | 南南合作是团结互助的合作。我们通过不结盟运动， 77国集团等机制 ，保持沟通和协调。维护国际公平正义，捍卫正当权益， 成为维护世界和平，促进共同发展的重要力量。 我们照顾最不发达，内陆国家，小岛与发展中国家特殊的需求。向他们提供援助，帮助他们提高自身发展的能力 。各位同事，展望未来，伴随着发展中国家整体力量的上升，南南合作必将在推动发展中国家崛起和促进世界经济强劲，持久，平衡，包容增长中发挥更大的作用。联合国发展峰会已经通过了2015年后发展议程。这是发展中国家一道争取的结果。我们要推动南南合作，以落实2015年后发展议程为契机，在新的起点上，百尺竿头，更进一步。 |
| First, South-South Cooperation in the new era should aim to explore diverse development paths. Many developing countries have embarked on development paths suited to their national conditions after tireless exploration. As a Chinese saying goes, every lock has its own key. We need to have firm confidence in the distinctive development paths we have chosen for ourselves. We need to share with each other successful experience of governance and create a pattern of cooperation whereby we can draw on each other’s strengths. We need to focus on capacity building, share practical experience in tapping the potential for growth and tackling development bottlenecks and promote people’s well-being. | 第一， 新时期的南南合作应该致力于探索多元发展道路。许多发展中国家经过不懈探索，找到了 适合本国国情的发展道路 。俗话说，一把钥匙开一把锁。我们要坚定信心， 坚持走自主发展，选择具有本国特色的发展道路。要彼此分享治国理政的成功经验，形成取长补短，兼收并蓄的合作格局。要把能力建设作为重点，交流实践经验，挖掘增长潜力，破解发展难题，增进人民福祉。 |
| Second, South-South Cooperation in the new era should aim to facilitate the alignment of development strategies of various countries. Given their different endowments, developing countries have much to complement each other. Economically we need to bring into play our comparative advantages, strengthen macro-economic coordination and form strong synergies for development. We need to identify priority areas and directions for cooperation and promote all-round development in economic, financial, investment, infrastructure development and environmental cooperation to help improve overall competitiveness of developing countries. | 第二 ，新时期的南南合作应该致力于促进各国发展战略的对接 。发展中国家禀赋各异，互补性强，我们要发挥各自比较优势，加强宏观经济政策协调，形成强大的发展合力。要找准合作优先领域和方向，推动经贸，金融，投资，基础设施，绿色环保等领域，合作齐头并进，提高发展中国家整体竞争力。 |
| Third, South-South Cooperation in the new era should aim to deliver practical results. South-South Cooperation must be result-oriented rather then being just empty talk. In priority areas of connectivity and production capacity we need to pull resources in undertaking a number of flagship and landmark projects with strategic impact and exemplary effect. Every effort should be made to ensure that the projects will yield (?) tangible results and good economic, social and environmental impact for the benefit of the general public. We need to build our own financing platforms, and make full use of new mechanisms including the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the New Development Bank of BRICS countries to provide stronger impetus for South-South Cooperation. | 第三，新时期的南南合作应该致力于展现务实发展成效。南南合作不能流于空谈，要真正落到实处。我们要以互联互通，产能合作为突破口，集中力量做成一批具有战略和示范意义的旗舰项目，精品项目。要让每个项目开花节果，产生良好的经济，社会，环境效益，惠及普通的民众。要搭建自由融资平台，充分发挥亚洲基础设施投资银行，金砖国家新开发银行等新机制作用，为南南务实合作增添动力。 |
| Fourth, South-South Cooperation in the new era should aid to improve the global development architecture. Development as an undertaking for all mankind requires concerted efforts of the international community. We need to push forward global economic governance reform and raise the representation and voice of developing countries. The global multilateral trading regime should be enhanced in the interest of building an open world economy and realizing the development mandate of the Doha Round of negotiations at an early date. There should be more communication and exchanges with developed countries and greater participation of business and private sector to build multi-tiered partnerships and create a community of shared interests among various stakeholders. | 第四，新时期的南南合作应该致力于完善全球发展架构。发展是全人类的事业，需要国际社会齐心协力来完成。我们要推动 全球经济治理改革，提高发展中国家代表性和发言权。要巩固多边贸易体制， 建设开放性世界经济，推动多哈回合谈判，早日实现发展授权。要 扩大同发达国家沟通交流，动员企业和私营部门力量，构建多元伙伴关系，打造各方利益共同体。 |
| I wish to take this opportunity to announce that in order to help them develop the economy and improve people’s livelihood, China will provide support for other developing countries through initiating 100 projects in each of the following six areas in the coming five years: It is 100 poverty reduction project, 100 agricultural projects, 100 aid for trade projects, 100 projects on ecological preservation and climate change, 100 new hospitals and clinics, and 100 schools and vocational training centers. In the next five years, China will provide other developing countries with 120.000 training opportunities and 150.000 scholarships in China and train 500.000 technical personnel for other developing countries. China will set up a South-South Cooperation and Development Academy and offer 2 millions USD in cash assistance to the World Health Organization. | 借此机会我也向大家通报，为帮助发展中国家发展经济，改善民生，未来五年，中国将向发展中国家提供六个100 的项目支持。包括：100个减贫项目，100个农业合作项目，100个促贸援助项目，100个生态保护和应对气候变化项目，100所医院和诊所，100所学校和职业培训中心。未来五年，中国将向发展中国家提供12万个来华培训，和15万个奖学金名额。为发展中国家培养50万名职业技术人员。中国将设立南南合作与发展学院。并向世界卫生组织提供200万美元的现汇援助。 |
| Dear colleagues, as I said just now enhancing solidarity and cooperation with other developing countries is the unshakable foundation of China’s foreign relations. I wish to reaffirm that China is a member of developing countries and we will share with developing countries more development opportunities. The profound friendship between the Chinese people and people of other developing countries is our most valuable asset. We will as always promote our own development together with the common development of all developing countries; align our efforts to realize the Chinese Dream with the endeavors by other developing countries to attain their dreams of a better life for their people and pursue common progress of all developing countries. China will never waver on this commitment, not under any circumstances. I am convinced that we, the developing countries, will be able to carry forward the fine tradition of solidarity and mutual assistance and jointly open up the broader prospects for common development. Thank you. | 借此机会我也向大家通报，为帮助发展中国家发展经济，改善民生，未来五年，中国将向发展中国家提供六个100 的项目支持。包括：100个减贫项目，100个农业合作项目，100个促贸援助项目，100个生态保护和应对气候变化项目，100所医院和诊所，100所学校和职业培训中心。未来五年，中国将向发展中国家提供12万个来华培训，和15万个奖学金名额。为发展中国家培养50万名职业技术人员。中国将设立南南合作与发展学院。并向世界卫生组织提供200万美元的现汇援助。 |
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