The superposition of century-old changes and the epidemic of the century has brought the world into a new period of turbulent change. In the face of the tide of change, but break the waves!
After a gap of five years, China once again holds the presidency of the BRICS countries and will host the 14th BRICS Summit, with the theme of "Building a High-quality Partnership to Create a New Era of Global Development". President Xi Jinping will preside over the meeting in Beijing on June 23. This was an important meeting held at a critical time and attracted much attention.
The BRICS countries are representatives of emerging markets and developing countries, and the BRICS cooperation mechanism and content are becoming more and more substantial and achieving fruitful results. Under the changing situation, it is particularly important for the BRICS countries to strengthen their unity. People expect that through this meeting, the BRICS countries will further provide the "BRICS power" for maintaining world economic stability and promoting common development, provide the "BRICS program" for strengthening global governance and expanding cooperation among developing countries, and contribute the "BRICS power" to cope with security challenges and maintain world peace and stability.
Draw concentric circles for common development
The BRICS cooperation mechanism has gone through 16 years of development. At present, the total economic volume of the BRICS countries has accounted for 25% of the world, the trade volume accounts for 18%, and the amount of foreign investment attracted accounts for 25%. THE BRICS has developed from an investment concept to an important platform for cooperation between emerging markets and developing countries, and has grown into "an important force to be reckoned with on the international stage".
Over the past 16 years, the BRICS countries have established the BRICS New Development Bank, established the BRICS emergency reserve arrangement, and made every effort to safeguard the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization as the cornerstone, making important contributions to promoting global economic recovery and solving global development problems. Pragmatic cooperation under the BRICS mechanism involves various fields such as economy and trade, finance, science and technology, agriculture, culture, education, health, think tanks, etc., and new cooperation results continue to emerge, and continue to contribute to global economic recovery and sustainable development.
The headquarters building of the NEW DEVELOPMENT BANK of the BRICS countries in the Expo Park in Shanghai's Pudong New Area (drone photo taken on June 17). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Fang Zhe
At present, due to the superposition of factors such as us interest rate hikes, geopolitical conflicts, and repeated epidemics, the world economy has entered a period of high uncertainty, the north-south development gap has widened, the momentum of international cooperation has weakened, and the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has been seriously frustrated. On June 7, the World Bank lowered its 2022 global economic growth forecast and warned of the risk of stagflation. Many economists believe that the global economy will face high inflation and low growth in the next few years.
The headwinds are strong, and it is even more necessary for the BRICS countries to work together and move forward.
-- The BRICS countries are striving to comprehensively deepen economic and trade cooperation. The total import and export volume of goods of the BRICS countries in 2021 increased by 33.4% year-on-year, and the total bilateral trade between China and the BRICS countries in 2021 increased by 39.2% year-on-year, higher than the overall growth rate of China's foreign trade in the same period. This year, the BRICS countries reached an agreement on jointly deepening cooperation in customs intelligence, and strived to open up new channels for strengthening interconnection and improving the level of trade facilitation.
Container ships loading and unloading containers in the qianwan port area of Qingdao Port, a busy Shandong port (drone photo taken on June 15). Qingdao customs data show that from January to May this year, Qingdao's direct route to the BRICS countries completed a total of 830,000 TEUs, an increase of 12% year-on-year, of which export volume increased by 26.1%. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Ziheng
The BRICS countries are taking innovation as the driving force for development. The BRICS countries see the New Industrial Revolution Partnership as a starting point, focusing on digital industrialization and industrial digitalization cooperation. The Innovation Base of the New Industrial Revolution Partnership was officially launched at the end of 2020, and has carried out more than 120,000 personnel training covering 28 countries and launched more than 100 BRICS demonstration projects...
On September 7, 2021, the BRICS New Industrial Revolution Partnership Innovation Base was inaugurated in Xiamen. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Lin Shanchuan
THE BRICS countries continue to focus on green and sustainable development. The BRICS New Development Bank will provide $30 billion in financial support to member states over the next five years, of which 40% will be used to slow the process of climate warming. The BRICS Joint Committee on Space Cooperation was established in May this year to promote a higher level of cooperation among BRICS space agencies in the fields of environmental protection, disaster prevention and mitigation, and response to climate change, so as to achieve efficient data sharing and effective use...
The BRICS Big Data Forum on Sustainable Development was held in Beijing in a combination of online and offline (photo taken on April 26). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Xin
As the 2022 BRICS presidency, since the beginning of this year, with the active support of all parties, China has successfully held more than 70 conferences and activities, promoting BRICS cooperation in many aspects to make important progress. These tangible cooperation results have contributed to the BRICS cooperation mechanism and laid a solid foundation for the 14th BRICS Summit.
Herman Laurel, founder of the Philippine BRICS Policy Research Association, said that through a series of macro-to-micro goals and projects such as investment, innovation, and market development, the BRICS countries continue to gather consensus and form synergies. "At a time when situations in some regions may drag the world into a quagmire of mutual accusations and divisions, BRICS cooperation can help lead the world back to the development agenda."
Expand the circle of friends of BRICS cooperation
In the 16 years since the establishment of the BRICS cooperation mechanism, the BRICS countries have withstood the test of international changes and their international influence and attractiveness have been continuously improved. The significance of BRICS cooperation has long gone beyond the scope of the five countries. In 2017, during the BRICS Leaders' Meeting in Xiamen, China proposed the "BRICS+" cooperation model, inviting representatives of some emerging markets and developing countries to attend the dialogue for the first time. In 2021, the NEW DEVELOPMENT BANK of the BRICS countries expanded its capacity twice, announcing the approval of the UAE, Bangladesh, Uruguay and Egypt as new members.
At present, the century-old changes and the century epidemic are intertwined, economic globalization has encountered adverse currents, and the international community is eager to achieve fairer, more sustainable and more secure development. The importance of further deepening BRICS cooperation has become more prominent, and the desire of emerging market countries and developing countries to participate in BRICS cooperation has become stronger.
This year, the "BRICS+" dialogue activity was upgraded to the level of foreign ministers for the first time. China will also urge the BRICS parties to continue in-depth discussions on the expansion of personnel, expand the radiation and benefit scope of BRICS cooperation, and use the "BRICS +" model to allow more countries to catch the express train and hitch a ride on the development train.
South African President Ramaphosa said that some countries have expressed their interest in joining the BRICS cooperation mechanism, which fully shows that many non-BRICS countries are full of confidence in BRICS cooperation. In their eyes, the BRICS mechanism is "aggressive" and "extremely attractive".
This is a wind turbine for the De'a Wind Power Project operated by China Longyuan Power Group South Africa, photographed in the town of Dea in the Northern Cape province of South Africa on November 22, 2021. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Lu Tiantian
Sudindra Kurkani, former president of the Observer Research Foundation in Mumbai, India, said that in the changing international environment, the economic and political importance of some emerging market countries and developing countries is growing, and their potential to contribute to the cause of regional and world peace cannot be ignored, and the inclusion of these countries in the "BRICS+" will make this platform more representative.
Rozalia Valfalovskaya, leading researcher of the China Center for Social and Economic Research at the Institute of Far Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, pointed out that since the launch of the BRICS cooperation mechanism, it has accumulated rich economic, technological and financial resources. The "BRICS+" open cooperation model will further release the economic potential of brics and promote the global economic development.
This is the construction of the Kareli Aberlobaros Hydropower Station project in Russia, photographed on May 20, 2022. The Belovarosh hydropower project is the first project in Russia to be financed by the NEW DEVELOPMENT Bank of the BRICS countries. Xinhua News Agency
An important reason why the BRICS cooperation mechanism is becoming more and more vigorous and attractive is that it conforms to the trend of world peace and development and the expectations of the people of all countries for common development.
Development is the common cause of all mankind. President Xi Jinping's Global Development Initiative in September last year provided a Chinese solution to global development problems. This initiative has been widely echoed by the international community, with more than 100 countries and many international organizations, including the United Nations, expressing positive support, and more than 50 countries joining the Group of Friends of the Global Development Initiative. The initiative has been written into the relevant outcome documents of the China-Pacific Island Foreign Ministers' Meeting, the 30th Anniversary Summit of China-ASEAN Dialogue Relations, the Eighth Ministerial Meeting of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, and the Third Ministerial Meeting of the China-CELAC Forum.
At the opening ceremony of the BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting held on May 19 this year, President Xi Jinping delivered a video message, stressing that the BRICS countries "should carry out dialogue and exchanges with more emerging market countries and developing countries, enhance understanding and mutual trust, tighten cooperation bonds, deepen the convergence of interests, make the cake of cooperation bigger and bigger, let the forces of progress gather stronger and stronger, and make greater contributions to the realization of the beautiful vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind.".
Many analysts believe that the theme of this brics summit "building high-quality partnerships and creating a new era of global development" is in line with global development initiatives. As the global development initiative deepens, the results of development will benefit more developing countries. Luis Paulino, an expert on China at São Paulo State University in Brazil, said that concentrating on development, cooperation and unity is the common voice of the vast number of emerging markets and developing countries represented by the BRICS countries.
The common denominator of the search for universal security
Today's world is neither peaceful nor peaceful, and human society is facing more and more security challenges and becoming more and more difficult.
In the traditional field of security, while some old problems continue, new conflicts have emerged. International grain, energy and other prices fluctuate sharply, and the global supply chain is "obstructed" seriously.
In the non-traditional security field, threats arise one after another. The global epidemic is still continuing, the new crown virus variant strains continue to emerge, and the "immunization gap" between developed countries and many developing countries is still huge; Global terrorism is experiencing a new wave; Increasing risks of climate change; Cybersecurity incidents are frequent.
Security is the common demand of all mankind and the basic prerequisite for achieving development.
The BRICS mechanism was born in the historical tide of the collective rise of emerging market countries and developing countries, and represents the direction of progress in the evolution and adjustment of the world pattern and international order. The BRICS countries should play the role of a "stabilizer" of the global situation, practice genuine multilateralism, and make important contributions to safeguarding world fairness, justice, peace and tranquility.
At the 12th BRICS High Representative Meeting on National Security Affairs held in June, the BRICS countries agreed to jointly promote international counter-terrorism cooperation and cybersecurity cooperation related plans and roadmaps, maintain the central coordinating role of the United Nations in the global counter-terrorism cause, and call for a more inclusive, representative and democratic global Internet governance system. In order to meet the serious challenges facing global food security, the 12th BRICS Agriculture Ministers' Meeting held in early June deliberated and adopted the BRICS Food Security Cooperation Strategy.
This is January 19, 2021, when healthcare workers vaccinated an indigenous person against Chinese COVID-19 in the city of Tabatinga, Amazon, Brazil. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Lucio Tavera)
The COVID-19 pandemic has once again proved that there are no islands of absolute security in the world, and universal security is the real security. In recent years, the BRICS countries have continuously promoted the research and development, production and fair distribution of vaccines as global public goods, worked hard to bridge the "immunization gap", built a "BRICS defense line" against the epidemic, and demonstrated the "BRICS responsibility" to promote cooperation in fighting the epidemic. Evandelo Carvalho, director of the Brazilian-Chinese Research Center at the Vargas Foundation in Brazil, said the COVID-19 pandemic has made it clear that solving global problems requires cooperation among all countries.
In response to the issue of the times of "what kind of security concept does the world need and how can all countries achieve common security", in April this year, President Xi Jinping put forward the global security initiative at the opening ceremony of the 2022 annual meeting of the Boao Forum for Asia, contributing Chinese wisdom to making up for the peace deficit of mankind. Guided by the concept of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, followed by mutual respect, with security indivisibility as an important principle, and the construction of a security community as the long-term goal, this initiative points out a new type of security path of dialogue rather than confrontation, partnership rather than alliance, and win-win rather than zero-sum.
Permanent site of the Boao Forum for Asia (drone photo taken on April 9). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Liyun
Long winds and waves will sometimes hang directly on the clouds and sails to the sea.
People expect that this BRICS leaders' meeting will promote closer BRICS cooperation, enhance the quality of BRICS high-quality development, and lead BRICS ships to a brighter and better future.
Text reporters: Zhang Yuan, Wang Bin, Wei Mengjia
Participating reporters: Zhang Yinuo, Geng Pengyu, Yan Jie, Liu Kai, Jing Jing, Bian Zhuodan, Jiang Lei, Chen Haoyou, Luo Jingjing, Song Yu, Guo Xinhui, Li Xiaoyu
Poster Design: Zhao Danyang
New Media Editor: Nie Yi
Source: Xinhua News Agency