Senior official calls for BRICS solidarity

Beijing has pledged support to BRICS countries in establishing an early warning mechanism against risks of large-scale infectious diseases and in ramping up their reserves for emergency response supplies, in a broader push to jointly respond to security challenges and threats.

China's senior diplomat, Yang Jiechi, made the announcement on Tuesday in a speech delivered via video link to the 11th BRICS Meeting of National Security Advisors, a lead-up to the 13th BRICS Summit, which will be chaired by India this year.

BRICS is made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Participants in the meeting agreed to bolster dialogue, coordination, unity and cooperation to ensure that this year's summit will have rich outcomes.

The BRICS countries should step up strategic dialogue, enhance political mutual trust and deepen coordination on security affairs, said Yang, who is a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee.

He highlighted the need for the BRICS countries to make concerted efforts to respond to security challenges and threats, saying that BRICS must unite in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, respect science and oppose the stigmatization of the pandemic and the politicization of virus origins tracing.

Yang expounded on the necessity to practice a common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable concept of global security, while underlining the importance of enhancing global cooperation to cope with nontraditional security threats.

Yang called on the BRICS countries to strengthen cooperation to address such security challenges and oppose the abuse of the concept of national security and discriminatory and unilateral enforcement measures against other countries.

The senior diplomat said BRICS countries should fully take into account the core interests and major concerns of one another. They should launch joint actions against cross-border crimes and bolster cooperation in intelligence sharing, emergency response and crackdowns on narcotics and cybercrimes, in addition to collaboration on counterterrorism and internet information security, he said.

Yang cautioned against actions that infringe on the sovereignty of other nations in the name of "freedom of navigation".

He also said China welcomed the approval during the meeting of a BRICS action plan on counterterrorism, and the BRICS countries should actively explore more ways to fight terrorism and extremism, deepen cooperation in cracking down on online terrorism and block funding to terrorist groups.

He stressed the significance of opposing the politicization of data security issues and opposing cyberwarfare and a cyber arms race.

Yang set forth Beijing's position on the Afghanistan issue, saying that a political settlement remained the only way out, and that the international community should respect the wishes and choices of the Afghan people.

It is important for the international community to encourage the nation to establish a wide-ranging and inclusive political framework that suits its national conditions while sticking to the fight against terrorism in all forms and preventing the nation from becoming a gathering place for terrorist and extremist forces once again, he said.