The China Forum at Tsinghua University’s Center for International Security and Strategy (CISS) successfully hosted the sixth session of its "China Forum: Face to Face" exchange event on June 20, 2025.

Under the theme "Strengthening Cooperation in the ‘Global South’" participating experts engaged in in-depth discussions on topics including BRICS expansion, the prospects of the BRICS mechanism, and development pathways for the Global South. The dialogue explored how Global South countries can pursue development and cooperation, advocate for and uphold economic globalization, and shape a more stable, fair, and inclusive international landscape amid heightened global geopolitical competition.

Experts highlighted that the BRICS mechanism has evolved from an economic cooperation platform into a key lever for the Global South to promote institutional fairness and expand development space. BRICS nations are actively exploring institutional innovations in areas like digital payments and green finance, which hold the potential to offer practical alternatives for "de-dollarization" paths, enhancing financial and developmental sovereignty. Such efforts are also expected to bolster cooperation among BRICS members and Global South countries in trade, investment, science, technology, and culture, thereby injecting new vitality into the improvement of the global governance system.

Expert participants included Zhou Bo, CISS Fellow, China Forum Board Member and China Forum Expert; Prof. Tang Xiaoyang, Professor and Chair of Tsinghua University’s Department of International Relations and China Forum Expert ; Prof. Gong Jiong, Professor of Economics at the University of International Business and Economics and China Forum Expert; Prof. Liu Haifang, Associate Professor of Peking University School of International Studies; Director of Peking University Institute of Afroasia Studies; Director of Peking University Centre for African Studies; Prof. Vasilis Trigkas, Visiting Assistant Professor of Global Affairs at Schwarzman College, Tsinghua University; Senior Advisor for International Scholars and Student Affairs atTsinghua University; Vitor Moura, Co-Founder at Lantau; Marketing Director at Bracham.

Zhou Bo delivered the opening remarks and moderated the keynote presentations. The expert-media discussion session was moderated by Wen Jing, CISS Postdoctoral Fellow, and China Forum Media and Communications Director. Guo Jia, China Forum Program Director, delivered concluding remarks.

The event attracted media representatives from a diverse range of international outlets, including RIA Novosti, China Internet Information Center, National Public Radio, Financial Times, Sky News, Bloomberg News, The Associated Press, Kyodo News, Phoenix New Media, The Asahi Shimbun, Moroccan News Agency, and South China Morning Post.