A new era of BRICS cooperation

Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the opening ceremony of the BRICS Business Forum on June 22-24 with a keynote speech and chaired the 14th BRICS Summit and the High-level Dialogue on Global Development with important remarks via video link in Beijing.

This year is the “BRICS China Year”, it marks the 16th anniversary of the establishment of the BRICS cooperation mechanism. As part of the event, China will host over 170 BRICS events in various fields throughout the year.

In the first half of this year alone, over 20 ministerial meetings have been held. Each of the “BRICS Plus” events attracted the participation of more than 50 non-BRICS countries. This year’s BRICS activities will deliver 37 major outcomes, reaching new heights in quantity and quality.

At present, the world has entered a new phase of turbulence and transformation, with the intertwined impacts of the profound changes and the Covid-19 pandemic both unseen in a century. The world is witnessing security problems emerging one after another. The global economic recovery is still arduous and tortuous. The cause of global development faces headwinds and counter-currents. Promoting sustainable development, maintaining world peace and stability, and achieving the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals are the ardent expectations of the people of all countries.

Standing at the height of the well-being of mankind and focusing on the sustainable development of humanity, President Xi led the BRICS summits to produce a series of pioneering, leading and institutional outcomes, continuously promoting the broader and deeper extension of BRICS cooperation.

Where is the world headed: Peace or war? Progress or regression? Openness or isolation? Cooperation or confrontation? These are choices of the times that we are confronted with. No matter how the international situation changes, the historical trend of opening up and development will not reverse course. We should have a keen appreciation of the law governing the advance of history, face challenges bravely, and unswervingly promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

East Asia has maintained stable development for a long time, established a regional security and cooperation framework centred on Asean, and become an oasis of world peace and a highland of development. This situation has not come about easily. China will earnestly implement the China-Asean Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for a closer China-Asean community with a shared future and jointly build a peaceful, tranquil, prosperous, beautiful and friendly homeland by continuing to unswervingly support Asean solidarity, Asean Community building, and Asean centrality in the regional architecture, working with Asean countries to implement the important consensus reached at the China-Asean Special Summit to Commemorate the 30th Anniversary of China-Asean Dialogue Relations last year, and grasping the general trends, eliminating interference, sharing opportunities, and jointly overcoming challenges.

He put forward the Global Security Initiative (GSI) in his keynote speech at this year’s Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference.

China is willing to work with BRICS partners to operationalise the GSI and create a new path to security that features dialogue over confrontation.

China advocates the shared human values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy, and freedom, actively performs its international responsibilities and obligations, holds high the banner of genuine multilateralism. It firmly upholds the international system with the United Nations as the core and the international order based on international law and will continue to be a builder of world peace.

Thailand actively supports the Global Development Initiative. Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha attended upon invitation the High-level Dialogue on Global Development, and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai attended upon invitation the High-Level Virtual Meeting of the Group of Friends of the Global Development Initiative. The Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) economic model advocated by Thailand is in line with the concept of “lucid waters and lush mountains are mountains of gold and silver” put forward by President Xi.

Promoting and steering the reform of the global governance system is an essential meaning of BRICS cooperation. China has become the largest trading partner of more than 130 countries and regions, and signed more than 200 cooperation documents on jointly building the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) with 149 countries and 32 international organisations.

The significance of BRICS cooperation has gone beyond the scope of the five countries and now bears the expectations of emerging markets, developing countries and even the entire international community. BRICS countries gather not in a closed club or an exclusive circle, but in a big family of mutual support and a partnership for win-win cooperation.

Over the past 16 years, the BRICS cooperation mechanism has made a multi-level cooperation framework steered by the BRICS Summit, supported by ministerial meetings and driven by the three pillars of political and security, economic and financial, and cultural plus people-to-people exchanges.

China’s proposal of launching the BRICS membership expansion process, having further discussions on the criteria and procedures for the expansion, and gradually forming a consensus will help demonstrate the openness and inclusiveness of BRICS countries.

It will also help in responding to the expectations of emerging markets and developing countries, enhance the representativeness and influence of BRICS countries, and make greater contributions to world peace and development.

Over the past five years since its inception, “BRICS Plus” cooperation has become a prime example of South-South cooperation and seeking strength through unity among emerging markets and developing countries. This year, the “BRICS Plus” dialogue activity has been raised to the level of foreign ministers for the first time.

The 14th BRICS Summit Beijing Declaration emphasises the BRICS efforts of extending BRICS cooperation. The High-level Dialogue on Global Development at this summit is a testimony to the open and inclusive nature of BRICS partnerships including “BRICS Outreach” and “BRICS Plus” cooperation, which will inject new impetus to strengthen international cooperation and solidarity in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Thailand, an important emerging market and developing country as well as an active participant in and promoter of the cause of international development, plays an important role in international and regional affairs.

China and Thailand are good neighbours, good friends, good partners and good relatives. The two sides enjoy profound political mutual trust, broad common interests and great potential for cooperation.

The Chinese side is willing to work with the Thai side and other emerging markets and developing countries to foster a development paradigm featuring benefits for all, inclusiveness, and common prosperity.