Xi's speech at BRICS summit points out way forward for future cooperation, say experts

BEIJING -- President Xi Jinping's speech at the 13th BRICS summit via video link on Thursday will inject new impetus into the future development of BRICS practical cooperation, experts have said.

They have also said that the BRICS mechanism is an important practice of multilateralism, and BRICS countries should continue to strengthen cooperation and contribute more to maintaining multilateralism and addressing common challenges, and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

In his speech, Xi put forward five proposals for BRICS practical cooperation, including strengthening public health cooperation in the spirit of solidarity, strengthening international cooperation on vaccines in the spirit of equitable access for all, strengthening economic cooperation in the spirit of mutual benefit, strengthening political and security cooperation in the spirit of fairness and justice, and strengthening people-to-people exchanges in the spirit of mutual learning.

These proposals will inject impetus into the further development of practical BRICS cooperation in the next stage, said Ronnie Lins, director of the China-Brazil Center for Research and Business.

Since its establishment, the BRICS mechanism has always adhered to the spirit of openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation, which is an important practice of multilateralism, said Lins.

It is hoped that BRICS countries will continue to strengthen cooperation and jointly issue the BRICS voice on major global issues such as safeguarding world peace and stability and meeting public health challenges, Lins added.

Alexei Maslov, acting director of the Institute for Far Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said that the coordinated efforts of the BRICS countries can play a very significant role in accelerating the global economic recovery.

"China, obviously, will become the driving force behind the revival of the global economy," said the expert.

Calling the BRICS cooperation "a fine example of multilateralism," B.R. Deepak, professor and sinologist at New Delhi-based Jawaharlal Nehru University, said it is also "an antidote to unilateralism, de-globalization and anti-globalism."

As the largest block of emerging economies, "undoubtedly BRICS will contribute massively to the world economic growth and recovery," he added.

Cavince Adhere, a Kenya-based international relations scholar, said China has upheld multilateralism firmly, and has proved itself a responsible major country.

Multilateralism is the antidote to the major problems facing the world today, Adhere said, adding that the BRICS countries have practiced multilateralism in areas such as vaccine cooperation amid the pandemic, setting an example for other countries.

For Funeka Yazini April, coordinator of the BRICS Research Center at Human Science Research Council, Pretoria, South Africa, the COVID-19 pandemic has shown why upholding multilateralism is important.

It has shown that the world itself is a community of multilateral participation, the expert said.