Constructing the "Global South" Academic Digital Publishing Platform to Promote the Fairness of Global Independent Knowledge Systems

Scientific and technological information serves as the vital source of innovation, where its autonomy and controllability are paramount to national security and sustainable development. Constructing a robust, independent academic digital publishing platform represents a strategic transition from passively responding to technological "chokepoints" to actively building a national "lifeline." Concurrently, despite the collective rise of the "Global South," these nations remain marginalized in terms of the global knowledge production and dissemination architecture, and continue to grapple with a tripartite predicament: a widening technological divide, restricted dissemination channels, and a systemic deficit in discourse power. To dismantle Western knowledge monopolies, it is imperative to coordinate domestic and international strategies, uniting "Global South" nations to co-construct an academic digital publishing platform that is independent, equal, open, and inclusive. This study employs a multi-methodological approach, integrating literature review, interdisciplinary research, and comparative analysis. It deeply integrates a historical materialist perspective with contemporary empirical case studies. Specifically, by examining critical incidents such as the suspension of MATLAB services for Harbin Institute of Technology and Clarivate's sanctions against Russian journals, this research empirically reveals the urgency and tangible threats posed by the crisis of data sovereignty. In recent years, China has made significant strides in developing autonomous academic publishing platforms. A prime example is SciOpen, the international digital publishing platform for scientific journals independently developed by Tsinghua University Press. The use of the SciOpen has not only enhanced publication quality and efficiency but also demonstrated a powerful capacity to aggregate high-quality domestic journals. Its success in facilitating the global dissemination of local journals validates its effectiveness and has gradually established a "home-field advantage" in academic publishing, providing valuable experience and a replicable model for future platform construction. Looking ahead, the proposed "Global South" academic digital publishing platform will be built upon three core pillars. Technologically, it will establish an architecture characterized by "autonomous controllability + adaptation to Southern contexts." Institutionally, the platform will implement a "multi-governance and benefit-sharing" operational mechanism designed to dismantle the Western-imposed "center-periphery" hierarchy. Ecologically, it will cultivate a knowledge ecosystem defined by "serving the South + dialoguing with the world." Ultimately, this platform aims to shatter the monopoly and control of the Western publishing system, enabling the "Global South" to undergo a fundamental transformation from being "represented by others" to "speaking autonomously." It will facilitate a role shift from passive rule-takers to active rule-makers, driving the global academic order from "Western domination" toward "pluralistic co-governance." This initiative stands as a vivid practice of the concept of a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind in the realm of knowledge. Beyond safeguarding national information security, this effort consolidates development consensus and reshape the global landscape of knowledge power. It ensures that the voices of the "Global South" are heard, their thoughts are respected, and their wisdom is recognized, thereby advancing the construction of a fairer, more diverse, and inclusive global autonomous knowledge system.