China's economic cooperation within the Global South is a natural result of the global division of labor under globalization, rather than so-called "neocolonialism" as claimed by some Western countries, said Li Xing, Yunshan leading scholar and professor of the Guangdong Institute for International Strategies and adjunct professor of politics and society of Aalborg University in Denmark.

Speaking to China Daily during the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2026 in Hainan province, Li emphasized that China's trade with the Global South has not been greatly affected despite US-led tariff turmoil, and serves as a critical stabilizer for the global economy.