Insights | UN official: China's tech empowers the Global South

Recently, the 2026 Zhongguancun Forum was held in Beijing under the theme “Full Integration Between Technological and Industrial Innovation,” bringing together global leaders from government, business, and academia.

Shahbaz Khan, Director and Representative of the UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia, said in an exclusive interview with China News Network that China has made “tremendous progress” in science, technology, and innovation in recent years, driven by sustained investment in research and a strong focus on high-quality development.

“This progress is underpinned by science and technology, and it is very remarkable,” he noted. At the forum, he highlighted China’s advances in artificial intelligence, robotics and emerging fields such as open science, adding that these innovations are closely linked to sustainability, green development and climate solutions.

From nanotechnology to space exploration, he said, China has achieved wide-ranging advances and is actively sharing these technologies through capacity building and international cooperation, particularly across the Global South.

“China's development and confidence is helping other developing countries to think about a sustainable way to move forward in future,” he added.