BRICS unity key for post-pandemic world

Experts speak highly of president's insights to tackle global challenges

The BRICS countries, with a more practical and inclusive focus on their journey of cooperation, as expounded by Chinese President Xi Jinping, can boost global governance and build a community with a shared future for mankind, analysts said.

And high-quality collaboration among BRICS nations can help the world overcome the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenges, and achieve the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

With other BRICS leaders, Xi highlighted these themes in his video speeches at the BRICS meetings last week. The grouping comprises the major emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Swaran Singh, a professor of diplomacy and disarmament at Jawaharlal Nehru University in India, described Xi's remarks at the BRICS summit on Thursday as "subtle, broad-based, and philosophical".

The significance of the 14th BRICS Summit lies in this being the most potent grouping of "emerging economies" that have been the locomotive of post-pandemic resilience in the global economy and healthcare relief, he said.

He said the BRICS summit, which was hosted by China, reinforces its importance in global manufacturing and supply chains, "making it pertinent that emerging economies work with China to reinforce their complementarities to democratize global economic decision-making and enhance global economic benefits".

Dennis Munene, executive director of the China-Africa Center at the Africa Policy Institute, echoed his view, saying that the president's insights inspired hope at a time when the global community is facing unprecedented challenges as a result of the pandemic.

Xi's keynote speech at the BRICS Business Forum on Wednesday again expressed China's unique view of global development, which values harmony, inclusiveness, peaceful development, mutual benefits as well as win-win solutions, so as to jointly build a community with a shared future for mankind, said Gu Qingyang, associate professor of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore.

Strengthening stability

BRICS serves in maintaining regional and global economic stability and supporting the growth of the digital and green economies. As Xi stressed in his speeches, collaboration among BRICS members is of particular importance, he noted.

"This partly plays a positive and constructive role in alleviating the impact of the pandemic, food and energy shortages, debt crises and aggravation of poverty in emerging markets and developing countries," Gu said. " (BRICS members) should work together to open a new era of global cooperation and development."

Deniz Istikbal, an economic researcher at the policy think tank Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research in Turkey, said global cooperation should be increased in order to solve the crises in energy and supply chain management.

Istikbal added that the 14th BRICS Summit marks an important threshold for the global economy.

"Unlike Western countries, cooperation between BRICS actors is increasing, and new international alternatives are created. This year's summit is among the important indicators of this," he said.

Glenn Wijaya, an adviser to the Center for Indonesia-China Studies, said the most important points from Xi include the emphasis on the need for BRICS nations to assist all developing countries in accelerating the development of the digital economy, green transformation, as well as cooperation in the response to COVID-19.

"These are critical pillars if the world is serious about achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals," he said.

Wijaya noted that substantial SDG objectives can only be realized through strong collaboration.

"I hope that cooperation between BRICS nations can spread to other non-core members, such as Indonesia," he added.

Munene said that the president's speech at the High-level Dialogue on Global Development on Friday was full of vigor and optimism.

In search of a balanced, inclusive, common prosperity and win-win cooperation for global development, Xi supported the need to jointly build international consensus on promoting development, create an enabling international environment for development, foster new drivers for global development, as well as forge new drivers for development.

Liu Hongjie in Beijing contributed to this story.