A Chinese ambassador speaks during a seminar marking the first anniversary of the Global Governance Initiative at the National University of Lesotho in Maseru, Lesotho, on 7 September 2026. Photo Credit: Harvest FM

NNA News - The underrepresentation of developing countries in global decision-making came under scrutiny in Lesotho as academics and China's ambassador discussed the implications of Beijing's Global Governance Initiative (GGI) for the Global South.

The discussion took place at a seminar hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Lesotho on Monday to mark the first anniversary of the GGI, which was proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in September 2025.

Associate Professor Regina Thetsane, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the National University of Lesotho (NUL), said the debate was particularly relevant to smaller developing countries whose interests can be overlooked in international decision-making. “For a country like Lesotho, the question of global governance is not an abstract alone; it has direct implications for our development, our access to global opportunities and our ability to have our national interests and perspectives recognised in international decision-making,” Thetsane said.

Thetsane also pointed to academic cooperation between Lesotho and China, including research collaboration, academic exchanges, student mobility and institutional partnerships, saying such engagement had demonstrated how knowledge could contribute to closer relations between countries.

NUL political science lecturer Tlohang Letsie said the GGI should be understood as a proposal to reform existing international arrangements rather than replace them. “It aims to reform it from within, giving the developing world a rightful equal seat at the table,” Letsie said.

The discussion comes as developing countries continue to push for greater representation in international institutions, including calls for reforms to structures governing global political and economic decision-making.

Chinese Ambassador to Lesotho Yang Xiaokun said the principles behind the GGI were particularly relevant to small and medium-sized countries, which he said could face pressure to align themselves with competing powers. “As an important part of a multipolar world and a key driving force behind it, the Global South ought to have greater representation and voice in international affairs,” Yang said.

Yang argued that the interests of smaller states should not be ignored or compromised and called for greater democracy in international relations. The GGI sets out five principles promoted by China: sovereign equality, international rule of law, multilateralism, a people-centred approach and real action. China says the initiative is intended to improve the effectiveness of global governance and make the international system more representative and equitable.

Lesotho's engagement with the initiative also predates the anniversary seminar. The country was among the 43 founding members of the Group of Friends of Global Governance, established at the United Nations in December 2025. A China–Lesotho joint communiqué issued earlier in 2026 also recorded Lesotho's support for the GGI and said the initiative could contribute to a more stable and equitable global governance system.

The seminar therefore placed the GGI within a broader discussion about the role of developing countries in shaping international institutions and decisions that affect their development, access to opportunities and national interests.