BRICS countries encouraged to share governance experiences

BRICS countries were urged at a seminar to share experiences of governance and to strengthen cooperation in fields such as economics and health to improve the well-being of people.

BRICS comprises the five major emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. More than 150 participants from these countries participated in the BRICS Seminar on Governance 2021, whose theme was "Building Consensus and Confidence for BRICS Cooperation with a Shared Future". The seminar was held on Tuesday and Wednesday, both online and offline.

Xu Lin, deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and minister of the State Council Information Office, noted that under the leadership of the CPC, China has made tremendous achievements over the past 100 years and eliminated absolute poverty.

The Party's experiences of governing the country include always putting the people first, sticking to reform and opening-up, continuously exploring the path of modernization independently, and being committed to building a community with a shared future for mankind, Xu said on Tuesday in Beijing during his keynote speech to the seminar.

Xu said that over the past 15 years, the BRICS mechanism has grown from an initial investment concept to a model of international cooperation with mutual benefit, and has maintained strong development momentum and vitality.

"The exchanges of governance experiences have played a huge role in it," he said.

He called on BRICS countries to strengthen exchanges, promote mutual learning and work together to promote development and boost the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Sun Weidong, China's ambassador to India, said that the BRICS countries are at similar development stages and face similar challenges and risks. As the world is still suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic, strengthening governance exchanges is of great significance to the BRICS economies in navigating a sound future path and achieving greater development.

Sun said that China, which will hold the presidency of the organization next year, will strengthen cooperation with BRICS partners in various fields, including fighting the pandemic, practicing true multilateralism and improving people's wellbeing, to forge closer, more pragmatic and higher-quality partnerships.

Ash Narain Roy, director of the Institute of Social Sciences of India, said that in the post-pandemic era, BRICS countries need to work together to boost economic recovery and to ensure that all people have access to healthcare, education, affordable housing and decent jobs.

The world's economic and health situation, biodiversity and ecosystems are closely connected, so nations should adjust their policies and take action to improve governance and people's well-being, such as upholding multilateralism and eliminating poverty, he added.

Du Zhanyuan, president of China International Communications Group, said that BRICS countries need to strengthen coordinated actions to raise voices in global governance. He said that the world is undergoing turbulence and changes, where uncertainties and instability in global governance are on the rise. It is imperative to strengthen the multilateral system.

He said that the BRICS mechanism, as a significant force to be reckoned with in the international arena, should practice true multilateralism, jointly oppose the wrong practices of sanctions, blockades, and decoupling initiated by a few countries, and make global governance more inclusive, representative and participatory.