InJulythisyear,SouthAfricahoststhe10thBRICSSummitinJohannesburg.ThevenueforthesummitreturnstoSouthAfricaafteritwashostedinDurbanin2013,andBRICSnowentersitsseconddecadeasaninfluentialgroup.
BRICScooperationwasestablishedasaresponsetothe2008internationalfinancialcrisis.SouthAfricajoinedBRICSin2010.Sinceitsestablishment,BRICShasassociateditselfwithAfrica,thecontinentwiththelargestnumberofdevelopingcountries,andhasbecomeanemergingpowerscooperationmechanismthatreachesacrossAsia,Africa,LatinAmericaandEurope.After10yearsofdevelopment,BRICScooperationhasshedtheoutdatedpracticesofpoliticalandmilitaryalliance,andinsteadestablishedanewtypeofpartnership.BRICScooperationhaswalkedapathofmutualrespectandcommonprogress.Itisalsothecooperationthathastranscendedtheoldideaofazero-sumgameandthewinnertakingall,andhasimplementedthenewconceptofwin-wincooperationforcommondevelopment.Today,BRICShasestablisheditselfasamajorforceinshapingthemodernizationofinternationalgovernance.
Drivingeconomicgrowth
BRICScooperationhasbecomethemainenginedrivingtheworld鈥檚economicgrowth.ThecombinedpopulationofBrazil,Russia,India,ChinaandSouthAfricaaccountsfor40percentoftheworld鈥檚total.Together,BRICScountriescontributeover50percenttotheworldeconomicgrowth,whichexceedsthecontributionofalldevelopedcountriescombined.BRICScountries鈥檝otingshareintheWorldBankandthesharequotaintheInternationalMonetaryFund(IMF)haverespectivelyincreasedto13.19percentand14.84percent.
BRICSunityandcooperationhavehelpedstrengthentheforceforfairnessandjusticeintheinternationalcommunity.Themembercountriesholdhighthebannerofpeace,developmentandcooperation,whilemaintainingeffectivecoordinationandcollaborationintheUnitedNations(UN),G20andothermajorinternationalfora.
AsregardstheimplementationoftheUNMillenniumDevelopmentGoalsandtheSustainableDevelopmentGoals,BRICScountriesareactivelyinvolved.
Oncontentiousissuesandmajorglobalchallengessuchasclimatechange,thefivecountrieshavedemonstratedBRICSwisdom,contributedBRICSplans,andexpressedBRICSvoices,upholdingthefundamentalprinciplesandauthorityoftheUNandinternationallaws,effectivelysafeguardingthecommoninterestofalldevelopingcountries.
Inaddition,theBRICSPlusinitiative,proposedduringlastyear鈥檚BRICSXiamenSummit,hasopenedupanewprospectofbroadeningtheBRICS鈥檆ircleoffriends,andhasgainedextensiveattentionandpopularsupport.
Resultsoriented
BRICScooperationhasproducedremarkableresultsandbroughtconcretebenefitstothepeoplesofBRICSmemberstates.Overthepast10years,BRICS鈥檛otalGDPhasgrownby179percent,tradeexpandedby94percent,andurbanpopulationincreasedby28percent,bringingthesenseofachievementtoover3billionpopulationacrossthememberstates.WithincreasedprogressintheStrategyforBRICSEconomicPartnership,BRICSmutually-beneficialeconomiccooperationisexpectedtoproducemorefruitfulresults.TheNewDevelopmentBank(NDB)establishedin2015hasalreadyreservedsufficientcapitaltosupportmemberstatesininfrastructuredevelopmentandproductioncooperation.Acontingencyreservewith$100billionoffersmemberstatesarobustlineofdefenseagainstfinancialrisks.
Thesemilestonesmarkmajorstepsofemergingcountriestojointlytackleglobalchallengesthroughtheestablishmentofacollectivefinancialsafetynet.Bydoingso,theBRICSmechanismhasbeenoperatinginafundamentallydifferentwayfromtheglobalfinancialsystemlongheldbytheWest,andoffersanewchoiceforallthedevelopingcountriesintheirpursuitofself-sustainabledevelopment.UnliketheWorldBankandtheIMF,thecapitalizationoftheNDBisequallysharedamongfiveBRICScountriesandaccordingly,thedecisionsofthebankareonconsultationonanequalfootingandontherulesofthemarket.Consistentwiththetrendoftimes,theNDBfullyencapsulatestheprincipleofequalpartnership,mutualbenefit,andwin-wincooperation,andhasbecomeanacceleratorandanengineforthefinancialstabilityofBRICScountriesandofthewholeworld.
FortheBRICS,SouthAfricaisamajorparticipant,contributorandbeneficiary.Moreimportantly,SouthAfricaisaleaderandabridgeinconnectingBRICS鈥檇evelopmentandcooperationwithAfrica.ChinaisSouthAfrica鈥檚strongestBRICSpartner.In2017,bilateraltradebetweenChinaandSouthAfricaincreasedby11.65percentyearonyeartoreach$39.17billion.Today,ChinaisSouthAfrica鈥檚largesttradingpartnerandamajorsourceofforeigninvestmentandoverseastourists.In2017,theNDBopeneditsAfricaRegionalCenterinJohannesburgandcommittedtoapprove$1.5billionofloanswithin18monthsofitsopening.ItiscertainthatBRICScooperationwillcreatemorestrengthforthedevelopmentofSouthAfricaandAfricaasawhole.
Creatingunity
ThefiveBRICSmembersarelikethefivefingersofahand,eachoneisdifferent,buttheyallcomplementeachother.ThesharedstrategicinterestsofBRICSofferrobustandconstantstrengthsofcohesion,makingthehandwell-coordinatedandflexible.TheworldhasbeengoingthroughprofoundchangesintermsoftheglobalstructureandshiftingstrengthsbetweentheNorthandtheSouth.
Asprotectionismandexclusivismmakesitswayintocertainmajorpowers,theworldisincreasinglyconfrontedwiththewillfulactsofatradewar,challengesagainsteconomicglobalizationandmultilateraltraderegime,andincreasinginstabilitiesanduncertaintiesininternationalpolitical,economicandsecuritydomains.Againstsuchcomplicatedandacutechallenges,strongerunityandcooperationamongtheBRICSandthedevelopingcountriesaretheinevitableandtheonlycorrectpathforward.
AstheBRICSchairforthisyear鈥檚BRICS,SouthAfricahasproposedtheFourthIndustrialRevolutionandinclusivegrowthasprioritiesforthisyear鈥檚summit,alongwithconcretemeasurestodeepenBRICSPluscooperation.TheseproposalshavebeenwarmlywelcomedandactivelysupportedbyChinaandotherBRICSmembers.ChinawillgiveitsfullsupporttoSouthAfricaforasuccessfulBRICSSummit,andwillworktogethertoinjectnewmomentumintofullydeepeningBRICSstrategicpartnership,andcreatinganewchapterforBRICScooperation.
ThisyearmarksthecentenaryofthebirthofformerSouthAfricanPresidentNelsonMandela.TheBRICS鈥檕pen,inclusive,cooperativeandwin-winspiritishighlyconsistentwiththeMandelaspirit.Itisalsothelong-cherishedwishofMandelaandallotherrevolutionaryleadersoftheAfricanNationalCongresstofightforamorefair,justandequitableinternationalorder.Wearefullyconvincedthat,aslongastheBRICScountriesstrengthenunityandcommittowin-wincooperationforcommondevelopment,BRICScooperationwillembracenewvigoranddynamisminitssecondgoldendecadeofdevelopment.
Inthisway,BRICSwillbecomeanexampleandmakenewcontributionstotheestablishmentofanewtypeofinternationalrelationsfeaturingwin-wincooperationandacommunitywithasharedfutureforhumanity.JIANGKEHONGXiamenInternationalConference&ExhibitionCenter,thevenuefor2017BRICSSummit**TheauthoristheChineseAmbassadortoSouthAfrica
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