Beijing: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday attended a virtual BRICS Summit and delivered an important statement, calling on BRICS countries to forge ahead in solidarity and cooperation.
According to Bahrain News Agency, the President called for upholding openness and win-win cooperation to safeguard the international economic and trade order. Noting that economic globalization is an irresistible trend of history, Xi said countries cannot thrive without an international environment of open cooperation, and no country can afford to retreat to self-imposed isolation.
He emphasized that BRICS countries must stay committed to building an open global economy, so as to share opportunities and achieve win-win outcomes in openness. He added that the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core should be upheld and all forms of protectionism should be opposed.
Xi also stated that BRICS countries should uphold solidarity and cooperation to foster synergy for common development. BRICS
countries account for nearly half of the world’s population, around 30 percent of global economic output, and one-fifth of global trade.
He highlighted that the more closely they work together, the more resilient, resourceful, and effective they are in addressing external risks and challenges. China is ready to work with fellow BRICS countries to implement the Global Development Initiative, advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, leverage respective strengths, deepen practical cooperation, and make business, financial, scientific, and technological cooperation more productive, to strengthen the foundation, momentum, and impact of greater BRICS cooperation.
The summit was chaired by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and also attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, HH Shaikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan is Crown Prince
of Abu Dhabi, and the representatives of India and Ethiopia.