October 23, 2024, Kazan Russia
Dear President Vladimir Putin,
Colleagues,
Chinese President Xi Jinping, during the BRICS meeting in Kazan Russia. photo: Ramil Sitdikov / Sputnik
First of all, I would like to extend my warm congratulations on the successful opening of this summit, along with my thanks to President Putin and our host Russia for their thoughtful arrangements and warm hospitality.
I would like to take this opportunity to again welcome new members to our great BRICS family. The enlargement of BRICS is an important milestone in its history and a landmark event in the evolving international situation. At this summit, we have decided to invite many countries to become partner countries, which is another breakthrough in the development of BRICS. As the Chinese are wont to say, “A virtuous man regards righteousness as the highest interest.” We BRICS countries are brought together by the shared aspiration and prevailing trend of peace and development. We must take full advantage of this summit, maintain the momentum of BRICS development, and think about and design our strategy to address issues that have global impact, determine our future direction and have strategic significance. We must take advantage of this historic summit to set out anew and move forward with one heart and one mind.
Today, as the world has entered a new period of turbulence and transformation, we are facing two fundamental choices: Should we allow the world to descend into the abyss of disorder and chaos, or should we strive to put it back on the path of peace and development? This reminds me of a novel by Russian author Nikolai Chernyshevsky entitled What Is To Be Done? The unwavering determination and passionate drive of the main character are exactly the kind of willpower we need today. The more tumultuous our age, the more reason we have to stand firm on the front lines. With unwavering tenacity, a pioneering spirit and a wisdom to adapt, we must make BRICS the main channel for fostering solidarity and cooperation among nations in the Global South and a vanguard for promoting global governance reform.
We shall build a BRICS committed to peace and act as advocates of common security. We human beings form an indivisible security community. Only by sticking to the concept of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security can we pave the way for universal security. The crisis in Ukraine still persists. China and Brazil, in collaboration with other countries in the Global South, have initiated a Friends for Peace group to resolve the Ukraine crisis, which aims to bring together more voices advocating peace. It is imperative for us to uphold the three key principles: non-expansion of the battlefields, non-escalation of hostility and non-firefighting, and to strive for the early de-escalation of the situation. While the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate, the flames of war have been rekindled in Lebanon and conflicts between the parties involved are escalating. We must promote an immediate ceasefire and an end to the killing, and make relentless efforts for a comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the Palestinian question.
We must build a BRICS committed to innovation and act as pioneers of high-quality development. As the development of the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation accelerates, we must move in step with the times and cultivate new-quality productive forces. China has recently set up the China-BRICS Center for Artificial Intelligence Development and Cooperation, and is willing to deepen innovation cooperation with all BRICS countries to release AI dividends. China will establish the BRICS Center for International Research on Deepwater Resources, the China Center for Cooperation on Special Economic Zones in BRICS Countries, the China Center for BRICS Industrial Capabilities, and the BRICS Digital Ecosystem Cooperation Network. We welcome the active participation of all stakeholders to promote the high-quality upgrade of BRICS cooperation.
We shall build a BRICS committed to green development and act as practitioners of sustainable development. Green is the defining color of our time, so it is imperative that BRICS countries proactively adapt to the global mainstream of green and low-carbon transition. China’s high-quality productive capacity, as exemplified by electric vehicles, lithium batteries and photovoltaic products, has provided important drivers for global green development. China is willing to leverage its own advantages to expand cooperation with other BRICS countries in green industries, clean energy and green mining, and contribute to green development in the entire industrial chain, with a view to increasing the “green coefficient” of our cooperation and improving the quality of our development.
We must build a BRICS committed to justice and act as a forerunner in reforming the global governance system. The correlation of international forces is evolving profoundly, but the reform of the global governance system has been lagging behind for a long time. We need to practice true multilateralism, adhere to the global governance concept of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, and orient global governance reform in the light of the principles of equity, fairness, openness and inclusiveness. We must adapt to the prevailing trend of the rise of the Global South, respond positively to the demands of various countries to join BRICS, and advance the process of expanding BRICS membership and establishing the partner country mechanism, enhancing the representativeness and voice of developing countries in global governance.
The current circumstances make the reform of the international financial architecture even more pressing. The BRICS countries must play a leading role in reform. We must deepen fiscal and financial cooperation, promote connectivity among our financial infrastructures, apply high standards of financial security, and expand and strengthen the New Development Bank, with a view to making the international financial system more effectively reflect changes in the global economic landscape.
We must build a BRICS committed to closer people-to-people exchanges and act as promoters of harmonious coexistence among all civilizations. The BRICS countries have a deep and brilliant historical and cultural heritage. We need to actively advocate inclusiveness and coexistence among civilizations, strengthen the exchange of experiences on country governance, and explore the potential for cooperation in areas such as education, sports and the arts, so that diverse civilizations can inspire each other and illuminate the way forward for BRICS. Last year, I proposed the BRICS Digital Education Cooperation Initiative, and I am pleased to note that it has become a reality. China will implement a BRICS digital education capacity building program. We will establish ten learning centers in other BRICS countries in the next five years, and provide training opportunities for 1,000 education administrators, teachers and students, thus deepening and strengthening BRICS people-to-people exchanges.
Colleagues,
China is willing to work together with all BRICS countries to open up a new horizon of the high-quality development of the expanded BRICS cooperation, and join hands with more countries in the Global South to build the community of humanity’s shared future.
Thank you very much.
Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, unofficial translation Resumen Latinoamericano – English
El presidente chino, Xi Jinping, durante la reunión con los líderes de los BRICS en Kazán, Rusia. Foto: Ramil Sitdikov / Sputnik