Chinese leader Xi Jinping called for the Global South to have a greater say in international affairs, stepping up his efforts to challenge the US-led world order.

Developing nations should “be at the forefront of promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind,” Xi said at a speech Friday at an event in Beijing to celebrate his nation’s foreign policy achievements.

The countries “need to work together to be a stabilizing force for peace” and contribute to resolving conflicts around the world, he said, according to a transcript of the remarks posted online by the government. In a veiled swipe at the US, Xi said the world “should never be allowed to listen to whoever has a strong arm.”

The comments underscore Xi’s campaign over his roughly 12 years in power to revamp the global governance system to free it from what his diplomats frequently refer to as “US hegemony.” A key aspect of that drive has been forging a stronger friendship with Russia and expanding the Brics bloc.

During an interview with Chinese media before Xi’s No. 2, Li Qiang, visited Malaysia last week, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim declared his intention to apply to the bloc.

Brics, which is named after members Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, doubled in size this year by luring Global South nations — offering access to financing but also by providing a political venue independent of Washington’s influence.

Thailand, a US treaty ally, recently announced its own bid to join.

Membership to the grouping is also a way for nations to signal increasing frustration with the US-led order and key institutions that remain firmly in the control of Western powers, like the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

China’s push to lead that challenge coincides with it taking a more aggressive approach in its diplomacy and territorial claims, especially regarding Taiwan and the South China Sea.

Beijing is engaged in an escalating tension with the Philippines over a disputed shoal in those waters. A clash on June 17 saw China’s coast guard wielding axes and a Philippine sailor lose his thumb in a confrontation that underscored Beijing’s willingness to see how far it can push Manila and its allies in Washington.

Xi’s government has also offered diplomatic and economic support to Russia since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, much to the frustration of the European Union. Moscow’s trade with China hit a record $240-billion in 2023, propelled by Russian oil and gas sales, and purchases of electronics, industrial equipment and cars.

Xi’s speech Friday came at an event to mark 70th anniversary of China formulating its “Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence,” which Beijing holds up as a cornerstone of its foreign policy.

In his remarks, Xi said his nation was willing to discuss free-trade arrangements with Global South countries. He also pledged to open a Global South Research Center, and offer more educational opportunities to people in developing nations.

Yet he also signalled that he understood working with the US was necessary, saying that efforts “to seek decoupling run against the trend of history, and will only harm the common interests of the international community.”