On the evening of June 23, President Xi Jinping hosted the 14th BRICS Summit in Beijing via video link.

President  Xi noted that over the past year, the world has faced the continued  spread of COVID-19, a tortuous world economic recovery and increasingly  salient peace and security issues. Facing the formidable and complex  circumstances, BRICS countries have embraced the BRICS spirit of  openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation, enhanced solidarity and  coordination and jointly tackled the challenges. The BRICS mechanism  has demonstrated resilience and vitality. BRICS cooperation has achieved  sound progress and results.

President  Xi stressed that this Summit is held at a critical juncture in the  shaping of the future course of humanity. BRICS countries, as important  emerging markets and major developing countries, need to act with a  sense of responsibility to bring positive, stabilizing and constructive  strength to the world.

President Xi said  that first, we need to speak out for equity and justice. We need  to encourage the international community to practice true  multilateralism and uphold the international system with the UN at its  core and the international order underpinned by international law, and  urge the world to reject the Cold War mentality and bloc confrontation,  oppose unilateral sanctions and abuse of sanctions, and reject the small  circles built around hegemonism by forming one big family belonging to  a community with a shared future for humanity.

Second,  we need to remain firm in our conviction that we will defeat the  pandemic and act responsibly to protect our peoples and their lives. We  need to build a strong line of defense against the virus, enhance  international COVID response cooperation, and jointly defend people’s  lives and health.

Third, we need to pool  strength for economic recovery, step up macro policy coordination, keep  industrial and supply chains secure and unclogged, build an open world  economy, and forestall and defuse major risks and challenges in global  development, to work for more inclusive and resilient economic growth.

Fourth,  we need to advocate sustainable and people-centered development, invest  more in poverty alleviation, food, education, health and so on, and  promote the implementation of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable  Development, to bring stronger, greener and healthier global  development.

President Xi said  he looks forward to an in-depth and vibrant discussion under the theme  of “Fostering High-quality Partnership and Ushering in a New Era of  Global Development” to jointly contribute wisdom and ideas to the  high-quality development of BRICS cooperation. 

(Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China)