Foreign minister stresses role of Global South countries

Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday called on countries of the Global South, a rising group of emerging economies and developing nations on the world stage, to remain firm and confident in following their own paths and support each other on issues related to their core interests and major concerns.

Wang, who is also director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks when attending the 13th Meeting of BRICS National Security Advisers and High Representatives on National Security in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The Global South is now tasked with the important mission of resisting external interference and safeguarding both political and regime security, he said, highlighting the importance of taking concrete actions to counter all attempts to undermine BRICS unity and discredit BRICS cooperation.

Established in 2006 as BRIC (South Africa was added in 2010), the grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa has become an important platform for countries of the Global South to get united and strengthen themselves through cooperation in sectors such as politics, security, the economy, finance and culture.

Wang said that over the past years, the grouping has been working to enhance the voice and influence of emerging economies and developing countries, which helped inject positive energy into a world full of uncertainties and also demonstrated the significance of BRICS cooperation.

Under new circumstances, it is necessary for BRICS countries to strengthen political mutual trust and strategic coordination, continuously provide global public goods that meet the requirements of the times, and transform the BRICS spirit of openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation into concrete actions, he said.

To jointly address current global security challenges, the senior diplomat stressed respecting the right of each country to choose its own political system and development path, opposing unilateralism and hegemonic acts and solving disputes through dialogue instead of decoupling.

The "big family" of multilateral cooperation must not be disrupted by "small circles" that are closed and exclusive, he said.

Wang expressed China's readiness to work with other BRICS members to support each other's efforts in maintaining national security and stability and carry out more pragmatic cooperation in addressing international security challenges.

The world should hear a louder BRICS voice and see it play a greater role, he said.

Meeting participants exchanged in-depth views and reached a broad consensus on current security challenges and other issues including counterterrorism and cybersecurity, food and water safety, and energy security.

They stressed the importance of opposing unilateral sanctions, jointly fighting terrorism and extremism, addressing global challenges, reforming the global governance system and elevating the representation and voice of developing countries.

All parties agreed to strengthen dialogue and cooperation, support South Africa in hosting the BRICS Summit in August and push for the greater development of BRICS cooperation.