In 2025, we will organize the 12th IPP International Conference with a thematic focus on the modernization of China and the Global South.The choice is motivated by a few pivotal developments in international political economy. First, the stunning tariff plan that the Trump administration unleashed in April 2025 has kicked off the dismantling and restructuring of the global economic order. Second, China’s economy has come to a critical juncture, requiring structural adjustments to sustain long-term development. Third, emerging technologies like artificial intelligence are poised to revolutionize production relations within and between societies. Finally, the global economic growth centre is increasingly shifting to the Global South, with ASEAN countries and India leading at the forefront.