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Lesson 12 min 20 XP

South-South Cooperation

How developing countries are increasingly trading, investing, and sharing knowledge with each other rather than relying on the West.

The Rise of South-South Ties

For most of the postwar period, economic relationships in the developing world ran along a North-South axis: developing countries exported raw materials to and imported manufactured goods from industrialized nations. That pattern is changing dramatically. South-South trade grew from 8% of world trade in 1990 to over 25% by 2020. China is now the largest trading partner of most African and Latin American countries, displacing former colonial powers.

South-South cooperation encompasses more than trade. Brazil shares agricultural technology with Mozambique and other Portuguese-speaking African countries. India provides technical assistance and training in IT, pharmaceuticals, and public administration to dozens of developing nations. Cuba has sent more than 400,000 medical professionals to work in over 160 countries since the 1960s. These partnerships are valued because they come from countries that understand the challenges of development from direct experience.