ChinesePresidentXiJinpingdeliversaspeechtitledKeepingAbreastoftheTrendoftheTimestoAchieveCommonDevelopmentattheBRICSBusinessForuminJohannesburgonJuly25XINHUA鈥楢fterclimbingagreathill,oneonlyfindsthattherearemanymorehillstoclimb.鈥漈hesefamouswordsoncespokenbylateSouthAfricanleaderNelsonMandelawerequotedbyChinesePresidentXiJinpingattheBRICSBusinessForumwhichtookplaceduringthisyear鈥檚BRICSSummitheldinJohannesburg,SouthAfrica,fromJuly25to27.
Thisyearisthe10thsincetheBRICSsummitmechanismtookshapein2009.Thereareplentyofexamplesthatpaytestamenttothesuccessofthegroupoffivemajoremergingeconomies鈥擝razil,Russia,India,ChinaandSouthAfrica鈥攊nthattimeincludingtheContingentReserveArrangement,theNewDevelopmentBank(NDB)andtheNDBAfricaRegionalCenter.
Whiletheinternationalsituationhaschangeddramaticallyinrecentyears,withtheworldnowthreatenedbytradeprotectionismandunilateralism,the10thBRICSSummitprovidedanarenaforemergingeconomiesanddevelopingcountriestostandtogetherinthenameoffreetradevalues,inclusivegrowthandpartnershipsastheFourthIndustrialRevolutiongetsunderway.
Tuneofglobalization
Thethree-daysummit,heldunderthethemeofBRICSinAfrica:CollaborationforInclusiveGrowthandSharedProsperityintheFourthIndustrialRevolution,wrappedupwithfruitfulresults.AccordingtotheBRICSSummitJohannesburgDeclarationreleasedonJuly26,memberstatesrecognizedthatthemultilateraltradingsystemwasfacingunprecedentedchallenges,andtheyvowedtomakealleffortstodefendanopenworldeconomy,whichenablesallcountriesandpeoplestosharethebenefitsofglobalizationandshouldbeinclusiveandsupportsustainabledevelopmentandprosperityofallcountries.
鈥淚tisimportantthatBRICScountriesstandtogetherwithonevoiceagainstprotectionism,鈥滳henFengying,aseniorresearcheroninternationaleconomicswiththeChinaInstitutesofContemporaryInternationalRelations,toldBeijingReview.
Atatimewhenthewholeworldischallengedbytradeprotectionism,thevoiceofBRICS,representingemergingeconomiesanddevelopingcountries,issignificant.
Theworldisunbalancedanddevelopingcountriesarefundamentallydisadvantagedbytheinternationalsystem.Nosinglecountry,notevenChina,RussiaorIndia,isabletocounterU.S.tradeprotectionismalone,butasablocoffivecountriestheyarestronger.Fivefingerscanformafist,andthatfistcanpunchback,Chensaid.
BRICSrepresentsaround40percentoftheworld鈥檚populationandaquarteroftheglobaleconomy,havingcontributedmorethan50percentofworldeconomicgrowthin2017bycommittingtomoreexchangeswithotherdevelopingcountriesthroughtheBRICSPlusmodelagreeduponattheNinthBRICSSummitinChina鈥檚Xiamenlastyear.MediadelegatescuttheribbonatanopeningceremonyforthesecondeditionoftheBRICSMediaJointPhotoExhibitioninCapeTownonJuly18XINHUAAccordingtoChen,BRICShasnotonlybecomeaplatformforcooperationamongitsfiveconstituentmembersbutalsoastageforSouth-Southcooperationbyenlargingitsexchangeswithotherdevelopingcountries,withRwanda,Senegal,Gabon,Uganda,Ethiopia,Togo,Burundi,NamibiaandAngolaandthechairoftheAfricanUnioninvitedtotheBRICS-AfricaDialoguethisyear.
Emergingmarketanddevelopingeconomiestogethercontribute80percentofglobaleconomicgrowth.Basedoncurrentexchangerates,thesecountriesaccountfornearly40percentofglobaleconomicoutput.Iftheycontinuetogrowatthecurrentrate,thesecountrieswillseetheireconomicoutputapproachhalfoftheglobaltotalinthenextdecade.
Thecollectiveriseofdevelopingcountriesisirreversible,andBRICSwillplayamajorroleinshapingafairerandmoreequitablesystemofglobalgovernancetoprotecttheinterestsofemergingmarkets,Chensaid.
BRICShasadvancedeffortstowardthereformofglobaleconomicgovernanceandtoincreasetherepresentationofemergingmarketanddevelopingeconomiesintheInternationalMonetaryFundandtheWorldBankinrecentyears.
Thestrengthofjustonedevelopingcountryislimitedanditsinterestsareeasilyoverlooked.Buttogether,BRICScountriesformanirresistibleforceimpossibletoignore,Chennoted.
InhisspeechattheBRICSBusinessForum,XireiteratedChina鈥檚commitmenttoopeningwidertotheworldthrougheffortstobuildasoundbusinessenvironment,strengthentheprotectionofintellectualpropertyrightsandhosttheFirstChinaInternationalImportExpoinShanghaithisNovember.
鈥淐hina鈥檚furtheropening-upmeasuresareinlinewiththegeneraltrendofglobaldevelopment,andinsharpcontrastwiththetradeprotectionismoftheUnitedStates,鈥漵aidHuBiliang,DeanoftheEmergingMarketsInstituteatBeijingNormalUniversity.
Tobettersafeguardfreetradevalues,ChinaandotherdevelopingcountriesshouldtakepragmaticactiontofacilitatetradeundertheframeworkoftheBeltandRoadInitiative.Countriesaroundtheworldshouldalsoupholdexistingmultilateraltradearrangements,whicharenotperfectbutarebasedonasetofcommonrulesandaimtobeequitable,Huadded.
Inclusivegrowth
Withmanydevelopingcountriesplaguedbyunevenandinadequatedevelopmentincertainareas,laggingfarbehindtheirdevelopedcounterparts,realizinginclusivegrowthwasakeytopicatthisyear鈥檚BRICSSummit.
AccordingtoHu,cooperationwithAfricatopromotedevelopmentonthecontinenthasalwaysbeenaBRICSpriority.Bystrengtheningtheircollaborativeefforts,BRICS-AfricacooperationcanbecomeamodelforbroaderSouth-Southcooperation.
ManyAfricancountriesareintheearlystagesofindustrializationandthereexistsarealneedforinvestment,technologyandexperienceintheseplaces.BRICSshouldcooperatewithcountriesinAfricaonpovertyreduction,foodsecurity,innovation,infrastructuredevelopmentandindustrialization.China鈥檚workalongsideAfricancountriesundertheframeworkoftheBeltandRoadInitiativehasalreadyprovenfruitful,Husaid.
Ethiopia鈥檚EasternIndustryZoneestablishedbyChineseenterprisesisonesuchexample.AsoneofEthiopia鈥檚nationalsustainabledevelopmentandpovertyreductionprograms,itishometoover20businesseswhichproduceanarrayofgoodsfromcementtoshoesandhascreatednumerousjobopportunitiesforlocalresidents,boostinglivelihoodsinthecountry.
ChinaisalsosettocontinuepursuingtheBeltandRoadInitiativetocreatenewopportunitiesforthesocialandeconomicdevelopmentofparticipatingcountriesandtoimplementtheUnitedNations2030AgendaforSustainableDevelopment,Huadded.
Besideseffortstoimprovetheeconomy,theblocisalsocommittedtocreatingmoreinclusivesocietiesbyaddressinggenderdisparitiesthroughtheBRICSGenderandWomen鈥檚Forumdedicatedtogenderequalityandtheempowermentofwomenandgirls.Theestablishmentofavirtualvaccineresearchplatformfocusedondevelopmentandinnovationhasalsobeenproposed.
Newopportunities
Intoday鈥檚world,anewwaveoftransformationisgainingmomentuminscience,technologyandindustrybasedonartificialintelligence,bigdata,quantuminformationandbio-technology,andisgivingbirthtoabroadarrayofnewindustriesandformsofbusinesswhichwillfundamentallyalterthecourseofglobaldevelopmentandpeople鈥檚lives.鈥淚tisimportantthatwecontinuetopursueinnovation-drivendevelopmentandbuildaPartnershiponNewIndustrialRevolutiontostrengthencoordinationonmacroeconomicpolicies,findmorecomplementaritiesinourdevelopmentstrategies,andreinforceeachother鈥檚effortsinrenewingeconomicdrivingforcesandupgradingeconomicstructure.鈥漍isaidattheplenarysessionofthisyear鈥檚summit.
Theworldof2018hasonceagainreachedacriticalhistoricjuncture.CooperationamongBRICSmemberstatesinthedigitaleconomyandothernewfrontiersiscontributingtothepioneeringdevelopmentstakingplaceattheseboundaries,Husaid.
Thenewtechnologicalrevolutioncanprovidesomecountrieswithanopportunityforleapfrogdevelopment,orenablethemtocapitalizeontheirexistingstrengths.Butothers,especiallythosestilldeveloping,areatriskoffallingfurtherbehindasweakinfrastructureandashortageoftalent,capitalandothernecessaryconditionspreventthemfromexploitingthepotentialofadvancesinscienceandtechnology.CooperationamongBRICSmemberstatesisthuscriticaltotheirfuturedevelopment,Husaid.
Currently,eachofthefiveBRICSmembershastheirowncomparativeadvantagesinscienceandtechnology.Forexample,inChina,e-commerce,mobilepaymentandthesharingeconomyareallthriving,whileIndiahasseengreatsuccessintheexportofcomputersoftwareandinformationtechnology-enabledservices.Byintegratingeachother鈥檚strengths,itishopedthatbreakthroughscanbemadeandthedevelopmentgapwithdevelopedcountriesclosedtosomeextent,Husaid.
XuXiujun,aresearcheronBRICSstudieswiththeChineseAcademyofSocialSciences,alsostressedtheimportanceofincreasedcollaborationamongthefivememberstates.Hebelievesthiscouldserveasamodelforcooperationamongotherdevelopingcountries,allowingthemtobettergrasptheopportunitiesbroughtaboutbytheFourthIndustrialRevolution.
Theworldhaswitnessedthreemajorparadigmaticshiftsintechnology.TheFirstIndustrialRevolutionwasderivedfromthepowerofsteamandwaterandtookplaceintheUnitedKingdom.ThesecondsawtheintroductionofelectricityandoccurredalmostsimultaneouslyinplacessuchasGermany,FranceandtheUnitedStates,whilethethirdwaspioneeredinlargepartbytheUnitedStatesandtheformerSovietUnion,andsawtheriseoftheInternetandotherformsofcommunicationtechnology.
Manydevelopingcountriesmissedtheseopportunitiesandbecamemarginalizedintheworldeconomyforthedecadesandcenturiesthatfollowed.Atthismomentofepochalchange,developingcountriesmustcooperatewithoneanothertoseizetheopportunitiesofthemoment.Inthisregard,cooperationamongBRICSmemberstatescouldproveausefulmodelfortheworldtofollow,Xusaid.
CopyeditedbyLaurenceCoultonCommentsto
ExcerptsFromPresidentXiJinping鈥檚SpeechAtthePlenarySessionoftheJohannesburgSummit
Historykeepssurgingforwardindependentofpeople鈥檚wish.WetheBRICScountriesmustthereforehaveakeengraspofthetrendofourtimes,deepenourstrategicpartnership,andconsolidateourcooperationframeworkunderpinnedbyeconomic,politicalandsecuritycooperationandpeople-to-peopleexchanges.Thisway,wewillbeabletoturnourvisionofasecond鈥淕oldenDecade鈥漣ntoareality,andtogetherbuildacommunitywithasharedfutureformankind.
First,BRICScountriesmustunlocktheenormouspotentialofoureconomiccooperation.ClosereconomiccooperationforsharedprosperityistheoriginalpurposeandpriorityofBRICScooperation.ItisalsointheeconomicfieldthatBRICSenjoythemostpromising,diverseandfruitfulcooperation.BRICScountriesneedtostepuptrade,investment,economic,financial,andconnectivitycooperationtomakethispiestillbigger.Atthesametime,theymustworktogetherattheUnitedNations,theGroupof20(G20),andtheWorldTradeOrganizationtosafeguardtherule-basedmultilateraltradingregime,promotetradeandinvestmentliberalizationandfacilitation,andrejectprotectionismoutright.
ItisimportantthatBRICScountriescontinuetopursueinnovation-drivendevelopmentandbuildaPartnershiponNewIndustrialRevolutiontostrengthencoordinationonmacroeconomicpolicies,findmorecomplementaritiesinourdevelopmentstrategies,andreinforceeachother鈥檚effortsinrenewingeconomicdrivingforcesandupgradingeconomicstructure.Inthiscontext,Chinawillhost10humanresourcesdevelopmentprogramsduringwhichexpertsofourfivecountrieswillbeinvitedtodrawupablueprintforourcooperationinthenewindustrialrevolution.Bysodoing,ChinahopestoenhancethecompetitivenessofnotonlyBRICScountriesbutalsootheremergingmarketsanddevelopingcountries.
Second,BRICScountriesmustsafeguardglobalpeaceandsecurity.PoliticalandsecuritycooperationisanimportantcomponentofBRICSstrategicpartnership.TheyshouldstaycommittedtomultilateralismandtothepurposesandprinciplesoftheUNCharter.Theyshouldcallonallpartiestoabidebyinternationallawandbasicnormsgoverninginternationalrelationsandtosettledisputesthroughdialogueanddifferencesthroughconsultation.ByfullyleveragingtheroleofBRICSmeetingsofforeignministers,nationalsecurityadvisersandpermanentrepresentativestotheUnitedNations,fivecountriescanmaketheirvoiceheard,putforththeirsolutions,andjointlyworkforanewtypeofinternationalrelationsfeaturingmutualrespect,equality,justiceandwin-wincooperation.
Third,BRICScountriesmustexpandpeople-to-peopleexchanges.BRICScountriesboastgreatcivilizations.Whenitcomestoculturalandpeople-to-peopleexchanges,thereisalottheycandotogether.Asamatteroffact,suchexchangeshavenotablygainedmomentumoverthelastyearortwo.Fivecountriesshouldaimatgreaterpeople-to-peopleconnectivityandmorepopularsupportforBRICScooperationthroughextensiveexchangesincultural,educational,health,sports,tourismandotherareas.ChinawouldthereforeliketosuggestjointtouringexhibitionsbytheBRICSalliancesofmuseums,artmuseums,nationalgalleries,andlibrariesandclosercooperationinthecultural,creativeandtourismindustriesandatthesub-nationallevel.Thisway,theycanspreadtheBRICSstoryfarandwidetofurtherenhancethemutualunderstandingandtraditionalfriendshipamongpeoples.
Fourth,BRICScountriesmustbuildanetworkofcloserpartnerships.SincetheinceptionoftheBRICSmechanism,opennessandinclusivenesshaveremainedanabidingcommitment.TheBRICSPlusapproachadoptedattheXiamenSummitisdesignedtostrengthentheunityandcoordinationamongBRICSmembersforgreatercohesionand,atthesametime,tokeepbroadeningtheBRICS鈥渃ircleoffriends鈥漣najointpursuitofshareddevelopmentandprosperityforallemergingmarketsanddevelopingcountries.FivecountriesmayexploreBRICSPluscooperationwithintheUnitedNations,theG20,andotherframeworkstoadvancethecommoninterestsandboostthedevelopmentspaceforemergingmarketsanddevelopingcountries,thuscontributingmoretoworldpeaceanddevelopmentthroughbroaderpartnerships.
(Source:XinhuaNewsAgency)