Expats in Xiamen weigh in on BRICS Summit

By Nillah Nyakoa

Expats living in Xiamen have expressed their opinion on the significance of the 9th edition of the BRICS summit currently underway in the port city.

Speaking with China Plus,  Indian business man Niren Anand living in Xiamen for more than a decade pointed out that the partnerships between BRICS countries is a sign of good things to come for both emerging and developing countries. 

“So you can say this is the first step or the stepping stone towards making the world a better place. We feel that things are going to change now especially for businesses. So definitely there’s going to be some achievements not only for us but for everyone else living here.” he said. 

Anand is not alone in foreseeing the good fortunes that Xiamen and its residents are set to reap from successfully hosting an event of this magnitude. 

American Dave Bultez  echoes his sentiments underscoring the crucial role BRICS nations are playing in deriving  solutions for attaining the set Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) . 

“It’s a catalyst for the future in really dealing with the global economy. So everyone of these types of events that involve more than one country is essential to the continued development of the economy.  As our economies entwine, I think it’s essential that we find ways co-operate. ”said Bultez.

Others like Argentinian Eugenio Donatello are only hoping that their countries can also join or benefit from prospects the BRICS countries have. 

“I hope Argentina can one day be part of the BRICS. So it would be called BRICSA ” he jokes.

With their fast economic growth, GDP and power over the last decade BRIC countries have emerged as major players and influencers despite the skeptics.  As a bloc these five countries cover 40% of the total global population and 25% of the world’s land. As a result, it has become an important element in the efforts for governments to push forward the globalization agenda.

As the saying goes, the world is a global village. And the 21st century has proved that as a byproduct of technological advancements that have made it easier for expats like these above to trot the world and eventually become global citizens. 

With that in mind, we can't ignore the fact that, in the recent past  BRICS economies have subsequently emerged as “expat hotspots. According to the annual HSBC Expat explorer survey, many expats would choose to relocate based on factors that mainly include better work/life balance, job security, expat packages, economic confidence as well as wage growth. 

Yet despite a sluggish economic growth amongst these emerging countries, expatriates continue to move to these economies because they still  show greater potential for economic growth. Perhaps it’s because expats like myself are more attracted to what we deem better earnings come with as per the rate of a country’s economic growth, and also which could translate to us  being enabled to easily invest compared to other expatriates in developed countries. Although, to be honest, I am yet to invest a single dime in anything. 

But having lived in China for what could seem to others like a century, business men Niren Anand and Dave Bultez agree that the economic status of countries like China and India have truly given them access to many entrepreneurial opportunities and they keep discovering more as time goes by. 

Smita Anand and Kanika Rupani both parents of young children say living an expatriate life in a BRICS country like China has provided their kids with a full international environment experience due to the influx in the number of foreigners moving to China for the same reason. 

“In this multicultural environment they’re learning everything from different countries. So they are having all positive and good things building in their characters.”

So, on that note, I guess it’s safe to say that as we move into the second decade of this BRICS plus summit, people everywhere are watching to see the progress these countries will make to further boost their economies to become attractive top expat destinations in the future.