BRICS countries to deepen partnership and jointly safeguard multilateralism

By Ma Zhaoxu

The 11th BRICS Summit slated to take place from Nov. 13 to 14 in Brasilia, capital of Brazil, has drawn extensive attention and anticipation from the international community.

The reason for the dynamic cooperation among BRICS countries amid the changing international situation, as well as the increasingly important roles they are playing on the world stage, is their compliance to the historical trend of the evolving international landscape, and their efforts to make the international order fairer and more reasonable.

As a result, BRICS cooperation has won wide recognition and support from global countries, especially the emerging markets and developing countries, becoming a positive, stable, and constructive force in international affairs.

This June, BRICS leaders held an informal meeting during the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Osaka, Japan, voicing strong support for multilateralism and the multilateral trading system.

At the approaching 11th BRICS Summit in Brasilia, BRICS countries will continue holding high the banner of multilateralism, make efforts to build a closer and more comprehensive strategic partnership at a higher level, and contribute to the world with ideas and solutions.   

In the face of surging amount of international and regional hotspot issues, some countries have frequently exerted pressure and imposed sanctions on other countries, and even resorted to military actions. Such moves did not solve problems, but aggravated the situation instead.

The BRICS countries should unite as one and firmly defend the status and functions of the United Nations (UN), the international system with the UN at its core, and the international order based on international law.

The BRICS countries should also urge all parties to fully observe collectively adopted international rules, and treat all countries as equals regardless of their size, address issues that matter to all through consultation and oppose hegemony and power politics.

In addition, the BRICS countries should promote common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and get constructively involved in political mediation efforts for resolving hotspot issues.

Development is the master key to all problems. The BRICS countries should focus their efforts on the livelihood of their people, strengthen coordination of macro policies and synergy of development strategies, so as to further promote the BRICS partnership for a new industrial revolution and facilitate their economic transformation and upgrading.

The BRICS countries should continue making efforts to incorporate the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development into their national development strategies, put development at the core in the global macro policy coordination framework, and pursue a global development and cooperation model with North-South cooperation as the main channel and supplemented by South-South cooperation.

Efforts should also be made to actively build an open world economy, promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, fight any form of protectionism, and help developing countries better integrate into the global value chain and industrial chain.

The five BRICS countries should actively participate in the multilateral process in tackling climate change, promote discussion among all parties on relevant issues under the frameworks of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, and urge developed countries to provide financial and technological support for developing countries.

The world is faced with increasingly prominent global challenges, with mounting deficits in the governance of various areas. As a result, the reform of the global governance system becomes an irresistible trend.

The BRICS countries should continue promoting the vision of global governance based on extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, and advancing the democratization of global governance rules, so as to make the global governance system better represent the will of the majority of countries, especially the emerging markets and developing countries.

The BRICS countries should steadfastly safeguard the multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core, and make sure that reforms of the WTO still adhere to the organization’s core values and fundamental principles, aim of promoting open markets and equitable development, as well as the principle of “special and differential treatment” for its developing members.

Concerted efforts should be made by the five BRICS countries to perfect international rule-making for the new domains of deep sea, Polar Regions, outer space and cyberspace and build a fair, open, transparent, and inclusive global governance system that enables all countries to enjoy equal rights and jointly shoulder responsibilities.  

Diversity of civilizations is a basic feature of human society. Civilizations only vary from each other, but none is superior over others. The BRICS countries should conduct all-round cultural exchanges with an aim of enhancing people-to-people bonds, and strengthen friendly ties with other emerging markets and developing countries through the "BRICS Plus" cooperation so as to intensify mutual learning among different civilizations.

The BRICS countries should appeal to relevant parties to set aside their arrogance and prejudices, abandon the fallacy of the so-call “clash of civilizations”, seek common ground while putting aside differences, draw upon each other’s strengths, and pursue harmonious co-existence and win-win cooperation.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said at the BRICS Xiamen Summit in 2017 that the past decade is but a beginning in the history of BRICS cooperation, and looking ahead, BRICS cooperation is set to achieve greater development and play an even bigger role in international affairs.

At the upcoming BRICS Summit in Brasilia, BRICS cooperation will definitely embark on a new journey towards the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind.

　 (Ma Zhaoxu is Vice Foreign Minister of China.)