Li's visit to Rio to strengthen BRICS links

Premier Li Qiang will attend the 17th BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from Saturday to Tuesday, as China seeks to work with all parties to improve global governance and promote the high-quality development of BRICS cooperation.

The upcoming summit marks the first gathering of BRICS leaders since Indonesia and 10 partner countries joined the BRICS family. Several emerging markets and developing countries, as well as international and regional organizations, are also invited to attend the summit.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Wednesday that the BRICS cooperation mechanism serves as the most important platform for advancing solidarity and cooperation among emerging markets and developing countries.

It plays a significant role in promoting an equal and orderly multipolar world as well as universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, she told a regular news conference.

China looks forward to working with all parties to strengthen the BRICS strategic partnership, uphold multilateralism and promote common development, she said.

The greater BRICS now consists of 11 member countries and 10 partner countries, including countries from Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East.

Together, they account for nearly half of the world's population and around 30 percent of global GDP, contributing over 50 percent to global economic growth.

Also at the news conference, the spokeswoman announced that Li will pay a two-day official visit to Egypt starting on July 9.

She added that Li will have in-depth exchanges of views during the visit with Egyptian leaders on developing bilateral relations, deepening mutually beneficial cooperation, and discussing issues of mutual interest.

Egypt was the first Arab and African country to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China.

In recent years, China-Egypt relations have witnessed robust growth, with deepening political mutual trust, fruitful practical cooperation across various fields, and close coordination on multilateral platforms, Mao said.

China looks forward to working with Egypt to carry forward traditional friendship and advance bilateral relations to the goal of building a community with a shared future for the new era, she added.

In recent years, China and Egypt have actively encouraged and promoted expanded trade cooperation between their enterprises, with bilateral trade reaching $17.38 billion in 2024.