Global meetings carry high expectations

This year’s agenda of international politics is wellplanned and deserves high expectations amid dazzling changes.

In June, the G7, a bloc of the wealthiest economies, met at picturesque La Malbaie in Canada’s Quebec. Right now, BRICS — a bloc of the emerging economies of China, Russia, India, Brazil and South Africa — is holding its summit in Johannesburg, the economic powerhouse of South Africa. The theme of the summit is inclusive growth and technological advancement.

Later, G7 members and BRICS will meet with other emerging economies such as Turkey and Indonesia at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from Nov 30 to Dec 1.

Ideally, after the rich and emerging groups coordinate their stances, they would be expected to shape new agreements and compromises in Argentina to further resolve gaps in the global system and inject new impetus for peace and prosperity.

However, last year, when G20 leaders met in Hamburg, Germany, splits appeared in the group’s communique. The Paris climate agreement was an especially divisive topic, with Washington deciding to leave the pact on mitigating the impact of climate change globally after 2020.

The differences widened at the G7 summit in June when the US administration also raised import tariffs on allies’ goods while waging a trade war with China. It also requested that they pick up more of the NATO defense burden while, at the same time, President Donald Trump made it clear he is not supportive of European integration. The unraveling of Europe would be disastrous — the industrialized countries began their first such meetings on integration in 1975.

In contrast, the leading, like-minded emerging countries largely have spoken on the same page on most issues.

Beginning in the depths of the world financial crisis a decade ago, Russia hosted the first summit with China, India and Brazil. South Africa later joined what would become the BRICS. They knew the importance of collective policy coordination in shaking off the effects of the spiraling financial crisis and cushioning vulnerabilities to greedy Wall Street leveraging.

Furthermore, they are keen on sharing each other’s development blueprints and exploring inclusive and sustainable development.

BRICS countries have shaped the spirit of order and compromises that are essential in ensuring global cooperation and development.

Nowadays, the global village is the buzzword when we talk about how the world is closely interconnected. In a village, the most important cultural value is to mutually deliver a helping hand instead of putting one’s own interests first, stepping on the toes of others and even shooting people in the back. Historically, the roots of war are found in those behaviors.

Dangerously, the spirit of generosity is fading, without saying that the industrialized economies morally should take responsibility for helping emerging and developing countries to catch up.

So, at the BRICS summit, the leaders should not only voice their messages and announce actions to fight deglobalization. They also need to advocate the moral culture of international cooperation to uphold the spirit of sharing, helping and compromising to achieve a win-win scenario and international justice.

Such a spirit is the starting point in safeguarding the multilateral system worldwide and in negotiating common rules.