Towards more representative global governance

As the Communist Party of China (CPC) approaches its 105th birthday, the 2026 Think Tank Forum on National Governance in Developing Countries brought together politicians, scholars, and think tank representatives to discuss the mission and contribution of political parties on June 26, 2026. On the sidelines of the event, China Today spoke with Ong Tee Keat, former deputy speaker of the Lower House of the Malaysian Parliament and former Malaysian minister of transport, about China's contribution to global governance and the growing role of the Global South.

Ong described China's participation in global governance as increasingly systematic and action-oriented. He told China Today that the recently released white paper, More Just and Equitable Global Governance: China's Principles, Proposals and Actions, demonstrates the country's determination to advance comprehensive reform by addressing development, security, trust, and governance deficits.

In his opinion, China has moved beyond proposing visionary concepts to building practical platforms that support developing countries. For example, Institutions such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the New Development Bank (NDB), serve as viable alternatives to the World Bank and IMF for developing economies. In addition, mechanisms including the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), BRICS, and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), have expanded opportunities for Global South countries to strengthen their institutional voice in international affairs.

Drawing on his background as a former minister of transport, Ong praised the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as an epoch-making undertaking that has transformed connectivity, logistics, infrastructure, and development across the Global South and beyond. He said the initiative has helped narrow infrastructure and financing gaps while fostering shared development.

Looking ahead, he believes BRI cooperation can expand beyond traditional infrastructure to new areas such as the digital economy, green transformation, and e-commerce, creating new drivers for regional integration and sustainable growth, particularly in ASEAN.

Reflecting on China's development experience, Ong highlighted the impact Chinese modernization has had across developing countries. He said China's achievements demonstrate that modernization needn't follow a Western model, and that it has provided the Global South with a blueprint for pursuing their national goals. "Over the decades, we have been told that the only trajectory to modernization is Westernization," Ong said, "That has [since] been proven otherwise."

Ong believes the Global South has an increasingly important role to play in global governance by drawing on its own strengths and expanding multilateral cooperation. He indicated Asia's diversity as a unique advantage, arguing that the region has demonstrated an innate ability to harmonize cultural differences and build consensus through mechanisms like ASEAN and RCEP.

While acknowledging that the Global South still has some way to go in translating its economic power into greater institutional influence, Ong believes its role in global governance will continue to grow. He credits China with helping to lay the foundation for this by initiating multilateral platforms, enabling developing countries to collectively tackle shared crises and structural deficits, and ultimately carve out a more active and equitable role in global governance.