The Silk Road is an example of South-South cooperation, Adam Rogers, the assistant director of the UN Office for South-South Cooperation, told Xinhua in a recent interview.
"It was really for peace and commerce, and the exchange of ideas and culture, that the Silk Road is famous," said Rogers, "With Marco Polo, you didn't hear about conflict, it was all about exchange."
"The Silk Roads initiative (also known as the One Belt One Road initiative) today is seeking the same thing -- China reaching out to other countries of the South to exchange ideas and knowledge and commerce," he said.
The Global South is another term used to describe developing countries, which currently make up 134 of the UN's 193 member states and are primarily found in Asia, Central and South America, and Africa.
The Belt and Road routes run through the continents of Asia, Europe and Africa, connecting the vibrant East Asia economic circle at one end and developed European economic circle at the other.
The Silk Road Economic Belt concept was first introduced by President Xi Jinping in September 2013 during his visit to Kazakhstan.
The interview with Rogers came after the UN Sustainable Development Summit and the annual high-level debate of the United Nations General Assembly where Chinese President Xi Jinping made several important announcements about China's support for South-South cooperation.
In his Sept. 28 speech to the General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly, President Xi emphasized that China "will continue to stand together with other developing countries."
Rogers said that Xi's words of support for the developing countries were also well received here.
"Of course, it was very well received" here at UN Headquarters in New York, where more than 150 heads of state or government, plus more than 50 ministers, attended the annual high-level debate, said Rogers. "China has been an important partner in the South and of the South for many years."
Rogers said that despite China's rapid economic growth -- which he said lifted the world to achieve the Millennium Development Goals between 1990 and 2015 -- Chinese people still remember their roots.
"Many people who are alive today who could be considered to be middle class remember what it was like to be very poor, and so China feels solidarity and feels very much in that group of the South," said Rogers.
He said that China has provided support for South-South cooperation for many years, including through support for the UN Office for South-South Cooperation and through programs like "One Belt, One Road."
The UN Office for South-South Cooperation supports increasing trade and investment between developing countries. The office also encourages technology exchange between developing countries, Teresa Liu, the UN office's chief of development solutions and technology exchange, told Xinhua.
Liu provided the example of the innovative use of post-harvest straws mixed with cement in China, which has been transferred to Ethiopia to build affordable housing while also creating 20,000 new local jobs.
Liu said that South-South cooperation is an important part of the UN's new Sustainable Development Goals -- especially Goal 17 -- which calls for strengthened global partnerships for sustainable development.
South-South cooperation projects such as those described by Rogers and Liu will receive an added boost after President Xi announced at the UN Sustainable Development Summit held at the UN headquarters later last month that China would be providing 2 billion U.S. dollars to support South-South cooperation.
