Xi hails BRICS consensus on global governance at Xiamen summit

Leaders attending the ninth BRICS summit have reached extensive consensus on the international situation, global governance and BRICS cooperation, Chinese President Xi Jinping told reporters Tuesday at the end of the three-day event.

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets the press at the end of the ninth BRICS summit in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province, Sept. 5, 2017. [Photo: Xinhua]

The summit adopted the BRICS Leaders Xiamen Declaration, which reaffirmed the spirit of openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation, and mapped out a new blueprint for strengthening partnership among the group -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

About 3,000 journalists from around the world gathered in the southeastern Chinese city of Xiamen to cover the summit, where Xi has shared his vision for BRICS cooperation for a second "golden decade."

During the summit, China also held a Dialogue of Emerging Market and Developing Countries, in which leaders of Egypt, Mexico, Thailand, Tajikistan and Guinea joined the BRICS leaders in discussion and all agreed to forge a broadly based partnership and step up implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

BRICS countries must enhance coordination on important issues for a more just and equitable international order. The group should uphold basic norms governing international relations and safeguard international fairness and justice, he said.

The president also called for BRICS cooperation in addressing global challenges and promoting open, inclusive, balanced and win-win economic globalization that is beneficial to all.

Reform of global economic governance should be stepped up to increase the representation and voice of emerging market and developing countries, he said.

Stressing that results-oriented cooperation is the "foundation of BRICS cooperation," he said macro-policies must be coordinated and development strategies synergized to advance cooperation in economy, trade, finance, industry and sustainable development. 

The BRICS countries have taken new steps in the past year toward the goal of connectivity in trade and investment, currency and finance, and infrastructure, he noted.

He called on the BRICS countries to promote innovation and improve economic structure to achieve more resilient and sustainable growth with higher quality.

BRICS leaders have agreed on deepening political and security cooperation while enhancing mutual strategic trust, which is "in our common interests and in line with international expectations," Xi said.

This year, the Meeting of BRICS High Representatives for Security Issues and the Meeting of BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs and International Relations have injected fresh impetus into the BRICS countries' political and security cooperation, according to Xi.

He said the five countries have also instituted regular consultations among their permanent representatives in New York, Geneva and Vienna to coordinate their positions on major issues of common concern.

The steady progress made in cooperation in counter-terrorism, cybersecurity, peacekeeping and the Middle East has increased the influence of BRICS countries, he noted.

This year has seen flourishing people-to-people exchanges among BRICS countries, such as sports games, film festival, cultural festival, high-level conference on traditional medicine as well as cooperation among legislatures, political parties, young people, think tanks and local regions.

People-to-people and cultural exchanges will be regularized and institutionalized so as to deepen mutual understanding and friendship among people and encourage the idea of partnership, said the president.

The president also urged improving BRICS mechanisms and exploring new ways of cooperation as the BRICS usher in its second decade.

Some newly established platforms such as a model e-port network, an e-commerce working group as well as alliances of museums, art galleries and libraries will strongly support BRICS cooperation, he said.

While speaking on the Dialogue of Emerging Market and Developing Countries, Xi said the event has sent "a strong message" for closer South-South cooperation and global development.

Leaders attending the dialogue agreed that emerging market and developing countries, which enjoy good growth momentum, are well placed to play a bigger role in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and improving global economic governance, Xi said.

He said the countries together can embrace a sustainable path of innovative, coordinated, green, open and shared development, and inject "more positive energy" into global growth and shared prosperity.

The BRIC grouping was formally established in 2006. In 2010, South Africa joined the group, and the acronym was changed to BRICS.

The 10th BRICS summit will be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2018.

China will work with all sides to fully support South Africa in hosting the summit and pushing BRICS cooperation forward, Xi said.