BRICS Ready to Champion Multilateralism
Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the 11th summit of BRICS in Brasilia, Brazil, on November 14, 2019. He called on the BRICS countries to undertake their due obligations in championing and practicing multilateralism.
Xi made the appeal in a speech entitled “Together for a New Chapter in BRICS Cooperation” at the 11th summit of BRICS, an emerging-market bloc that groups Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
Noting that the summit was held at a time when crucial developments are taking place in the world economy and international landscape, Xi pointed out that a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation is in the ascendant, and the unstoppable rise of emerging markets and developing countries has injected strong impetus to the reform of the global economic governance system.
Faced with profound changes rarely seen in a century, Xi said, the BRICS countries should grasp the trend of the times, respond to the call of the people, and shoulder their responsibilities. He then laid out a three-pronged proposal for BRICS countries, involving efforts to foster a security environment of peace and stability, pursue greater development prospects through openness and innovation, and promote mutual learning through people-to-people exchanges.
The Brasilia Declaration issued at the summit reaffirms the BRICS nations’ commitment to upholding the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, championing multilateralism, and seeking political settlement of hotspot issues.