The developing countries are a vital force which cannot be ignored when the world is going multipolar. They are entering a historic phase focusing on evolving their national economies and seeking a fair and rational international political and economic order.

In the 10 years following the end of the cold war, economic development in the developing countries has been a driving force for the economic growth in the world and has improved its standing in the world's economy.

Though deeply hit by the financial crisis in East Asia in 1997, economies in the developing countries have grown again since 1999. The Asian economy, though still unstable, is tending to grow again, economic growth is being restored in Latin America and the economies in some African countries are gaining forceful growing momentum.

The political and economic order in the world today, however, remains the old one, fraught with much serious injustice, inequality and irrationality, forged after the Second World War under the sway and control by the Western developed countries. Economic and information globalization has offered opportunities to the developing countries and at the same time confronting them with ever increasing challenges. The ambience for the development of the developing countries has become grimmer and the South-North relations have turned more complicated.

The Western developed countries headed by the U.S. are vigorously pushing their trade protectionism and putting limits on imports from the developing countries resulting in worsening trade conditions for the developing countries. In addition, the developing countries are finding themselves deeply in debts.

The developing countries are faced with a series of challenges resulting from the rapid development of the new and high technologies in the world. The developed countries usually set limits on technological transfer or put the technology-recipient countries under their control. Technological gap between most developing countries and the developed countries is further widening.

On the whole, the disparity between the developing and developed countries is diminishing in terms of economic scale, nevertheless there is no qualitative change yet. The South-North gap remains critical - the rich becomes richer while the poor poorer.

At the end of the cold war, the international situation has been heading for relaxation on the whole, yet there will by no means be no war again in the world. In recent years, the Western countries headed by the U.S. have been pursuing energetically neo-interventionism featuring "human rights over sovereignty". Their primary stunts are guided by this fallacy and backed by high-tech military strength, wantonly trampling on international laws and flagrantly interfering in the internal affairs of other countries.

At the close of the cold, hegemony and power politics remain stumbling blocks to peace and development in the world. Restriction and counter-restriction, control and counter-control and intervention and counter-intervention remain the vital contents governing the international relations. Though varying in their interests, the common call of the developing countries remains the maintenance of peace, materialization of stability and seeking development. Their interests are identical. While taking advantage of the opportunities brought by economic globalization, they are gradually perceiving the negative effects created by the globalization. The are beefing up their awareness of economic security and earnestly aspiring the founding of a new international economic and political order according to the principle of equality, mutual benefits and common development.

The South-North issue remains the central issue in the present-day world. And the broad developing countries are still the nuclear force for the buildup of a new international political and economic order.

In the 21st century, the developing countries will continue to seek development at risks. Many developing countries will spring up and seek modernization. This is an irresistible historic trend.