China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi has highlighted the role of the Global South and called for efforts to strengthen unity and cooperation in addressing global challenges and improving global governance.

Wang made the remarks during the BRICS Foreign Ministers' Dialogue with Developing Countries, or BRICS+, in Nizhny Novgorod in Russia, which assumed the chairmanship of BRICS in January.

The dialogue saw participation from BRICS countries and 12 major developing countries with regional influence, including Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Belarus, Turkiye, Venezuela and Bahrain.

Wang said BRICS+ serves as a vital dialogue platform for the BRICS nations toward the broader emerging markets and developing countries, and has become a flag of South-South cooperation.

While the North-South divide is widening and the global economic recovery is facing setbacks, the collective rise of emerging markets and developing countries significantly drives the process toward a multipolar world, Wang said.

A new wave of technological and industrial revolutions is emerging, propelling numerous countries onto a fast development track, he noted.

The foreign minister stressed that the Global South is no longer a silent majority, but a new awakened force.

Wang called on developing countries to resolve disputes and conflicts through dialogue and consultation, and promote security through cooperation in order to inject more stability into international affairs.

He also urged efforts to prioritize development and deliver development benefits to all countries.

Developing countries should safeguard true multilateralism, work for an equal and orderly multipolar world, and make their collective voice louder and their collective strength stronger for improving global governance, Wang said.

China supports BRICS to open arms and welcome more like-minded partners to join in so as to seek development and push for cooperation.

Wang Youming, director of the Department for Developing Countries Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, said many developing countries have shown a willingness to join the group, which shows that China's advocacy of equal and orderly multipolarization, as well as open and inclusive economic globalization, has been recognized by the majority of the Global South.

While the Western camp continues to monopolize the international order, only a scaling effect can make the voice of the Global South louder and more influential, he said.

Openness, inclusiveness

He added that the BRICS+ meeting demonstrated the openness and inclusiveness of the BRICS mechanism. "It shows the positioning of the mechanism, which represents emerging countries and developing countries, and speaks for the Global South."

During the meeting, the participants agreed that the BRICS+ model facilitates unity and cooperation among developing countries, and is conducive to enhancing the Global South's influence and building a more just and reasonable international order.

They pledged to uphold the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, oppose unilateralism and hegemony, and promote political solutions to international hot spot issues.

They also called for reforms to the international financial system, enhanced cooperation in the digital economy, infrastructure and other areas, safeguarding the stability of the global industrial supply chain, narrowing the development gap and achieving shared progress.

Xinhua contributed to this story.