September 12 marks the United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation. This year's commemoration took the form of a two-day seminar in Hangzhou, one of China's key technology hubs. Hosted by the United Nations Development Programme in China and organized by the Institute of Global Development, the event brought together participants to explore new ways to advance South-South cooperation. Bi Ran tells more.

Handshakes that strengthen ties and build a shared future through South-South cooperation.

Around 100 participants, including government officials, representatives from United Nations agencies and academics, shared practical insights on how countries in the Global South can work together to enhance South-South cooperation.

STEFAN LILLER Resident Representative of UNDP in China "UNDP has worked very closely with the Chinese government under the Global Development Initiative, particularly implementing projects under the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund – 39 projects across 26 countries, benefiting 18 million people in Africa, Latin America and Asia-Pacific."

Mr. Stefan Liller points to the UNDP-China partnership as a driving force behind South-South cooperation – a view echoed by many here.

For many participants, though, it is China's own experience that they are here to learn about.

MANI R. LAMICHHANE Chief of the Nepal Tourism Board's Gandaki Province Office in Pokhara "South-South region they can cooperate, participate in AI, technology, others like this, and also see how China is developing or China is leading in the South-South cooperation."

But China's role goes beyond sharing experience – it is also a key link in the UN's global supply chain.

SOPHIE MULLER UNHCR Representative in China "A lot of goods that the UN is procuring are made in China. We get to our most cost-efficient supply chain. We're looking at China as also providing those cost efficiencies, allowing us to be more rapid in also our delivery on the ground and to have a reflection on maybe co-creation when it comes to innovation and sustainability."

Beyond the seminar room, participants visited a green, low-carbon industrial park and an embodied AI and robotics company in Hangzhou, gaining a firsthand look at the city's advances in low-carbon development and digital innovation.

From commitments to action, that is the spirit behind this year's South-South Cooperation Day. And while the progress is clear, the road ahead remains long and demanding. Bi Ran, LU LIDAN, CGTN.