BRICS strikes the right chord with its summit declaration

President Xi Jinping said in his speech at the 12th BRICS Summit, hosted by Russia and held via video on Tuesday, that unilateralism, protectionism and acts of bullying are becoming rampant, and the deficits in governance, trust, development and peace are widening.

He said that these are the root causes of many of the challenges the world faces, and he called on countries to uphold multilateralism, enhance their solidarity and coordination, and take concrete actions to make the world a better place for everyone.

For the variety of issues it covers and the clearcut stand it takes on them, the Moscow Declaration issued after the summit can be taken as the five member nations answering his call.

It shows their consensus that the theme of the times remains peace and development, and their confidence that the trends of multipolarity and economic globalization cannot be turned around.

It is good to see the BRICS members, despite having some divergences, demonstrating sober-mindedness and a strong will to stand together to address global concerns. Experience shows the bloc is by no means just a talking shop, there are many down-to-earth cooperation projects carried out among the five members on different fronts, bringing tangible benefits to their peoples and beyond.

The joint call of the BRICS members for countries to strengthen their commitment to a world of peace, stability and prosperity, mutual respect and equality, and to uphold the international laws enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, and respect the central role of the UN deserves the attention of the international community, particularly the United States, as it is undeniable that many of the difficulties the world faces today would have been avoided or resolved had countries heeded these commitments in the first place.

When Xi said in his speech in the summit, “Flouting rules and laws, treading the path of unilateralism and bullying, and withdrawing from international organizations and agreements run counter to the will of the general public and trample on the legitimate rights and dignity of all nations”, it is clear which country he was referring to.

Even while the BRICS Summit was being held, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was on yet another of his trips aimed at drumming up a coalition against China among countries in Europe and Asia.

The cold shoulders he has met so far in his first two ports of call, France and Turkey, should not be attributed to Joe Biden’s projected victory in the US presidential election, but rather the unpopularity of the current US administration’s divide-and-rule tactics over the past four years. Countries do not want to be dragged into a new Cold War by Washington.

That being said, with their detailed declaration, the BRICS members have provided the rest of the world, including the US, with a road map to a brighter future.

How much time will countries continue to waste before they come together? How many more lives will be lost? These are questions the BRICS Summit asks the world to answer.