On the evening of June  23, Chinese President Xi Jinping chaired the 14th BRICS Summit in  Beijing via video link. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa,  Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, Russian President Vladimir Putin and  Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the Summit.

Elegant  blooms adorned the East Hall of the Great Hall of the People. The  national flags of the five BRICS countries were arranged neatly and  echoed the colors of the BRICS logo.

Around eight o’clock in the evening, the BRICS leaders took a virtual group photo and the meeting began.

President  Xi Jinping made welcoming remarks first. He noted that over the past  year, despite formidable and complex circumstances, BRICS countries have  embraced the BRICS spirit of openness, inclusiveness and win-win  cooperation, enhanced solidarity and coordination and jointly addressed  difficulties. The BRICS mechanism has demonstrated resilience and  vitality. BRICS cooperation has achieved sound progress and results.  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,  speak out for equity and justice, remain firm in the conviction that the  pandemic will be defeated, pool strength for economic recovery,  advocate sustainable development, jointly contribute wisdom and ideas to  the high-quality development of BRICS cooperation and bring positive,  stabilizing and constructive strength to the world.

President Xi Jinping  delivered an important speech titled “Fostering High-quality Partnership  and Embarking on a New Journey of BRICS Cooperation”.

President  Xi Jinping pointed out that our world today is living through  accelerating changes unseen in a century and continued spread of the  COVID-19 pandemic. They confront humanity with unprecedented challenges.  Over the past 16 years, the giant ship of BRICS has sailed forward  tenaciously against raging torrents and storms. Riding the wind and  cleaving the waves, it has embarked on a righteous course of mutual  support and win-win cooperation. Standing at the crossroads of history,  we should both look back at the journey we have traveled and keep in  mind why we established BRICS in the first place, and look forward to a  shared future of a more comprehensive, close, practical and inclusive  high-quality partnership so as to jointly embark on a new journey of  BRICS cooperation.

First, we need to  uphold solidarity and safeguard world peace and tranquility. Some  countries attempt to expand military alliances to seek absolute  security, stoke bloc-based confrontation by coercing other countries  into picking sides, and pursue unilateral dominance at the expense of  others’ rights and interests. If such dangerous trends are allowed to  continue, the world will witness even more turbulence and insecurity. It  is important that BRICS countries support each other on issues  concerning core interests, practice true multilateralism, safeguard  justice, fairness and solidarity and reject hegemony, bullying and  division. China would like to work with BRICS partners to operationalize  the Global Security Initiative (GSI), advocate a vision of common,  comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, create a new path  to security that features dialogue over confrontation, partnership over  alliance and win-win over zero-sum, and bring more stability and  positive energy to the world.

Second,  we need to uphold cooperation to boost development and jointly tackle  risks and challenges. The combination of the COVID-19 pandemic and the  Ukraine crisis has cast shadows over development worldwide, and emerging  markets and developing countries bear the brunt. But just as a crisis  may bring chaos, it can also spur change. A lot will ride on how we  handle the crisis. BRICS countries should boost connectivity of  industrial and supply chains and jointly meet challenges in poverty  reduction, agriculture, energy, logistics and other fields. We should  support greater development of the New Development Bank and improve the  Contingent Reserve Arrangement to cement the BRICS financial safety net  and firewall. We should also expand BRICS cooperation on cross-border  payment and credit rating to facilitate trade, investment and financing  among our countries. China stands ready to work with BRICS partners to  add more substance to the Global Development Initiative (GDI),  re-energize the implementation of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable  Development, build a global community of development, and contribute to  stronger, greener and healthier global development.

Third, we need to  uphold the pioneering spirit and innovation and unleash the potential  and vitality of cooperation. Those who seek to create monopoly, blockade  and barriers in science and technology in order to disrupt other  countries’ innovation and development and hold on to their dominant  position are doomed to fail. We need to improve global science and  technology governance and allow more people to access and benefit from  the fruits of scientific and technological advances. We have accelerated  the building of the BRICS Partnership on New Industrial Revolution  Innovation Center, reached the Digital Economy Partnership Framework,  and issued the Initiative for Cooperation on Digitalization of  Manufacturing. All these have opened new channels for closer industrial  policy coordination between BRICS countries. Recognizing the importance  of talents in the digital age, we have set up the Alliance for  Vocational Education to build a talent pool for stronger BRICS  cooperation on innovation and entrepreneurship.

Fourth,  we need to uphold openness and inclusiveness and pool collective wisdom  and strength. BRICS countries gather not in a closed club or an  exclusive circle, but a big family of mutual support and a partnership  for win-win cooperation. Over the past five years, we have organized a  variety of “BRICS Plus” events in such areas as vaccine research and  development, scientific and technological innovation, people-to-people  exchanges and sustainable development. All these provide new platforms  for cooperation among emerging markets and developing countries, and set  a prime example of South-South cooperation and seeking strength through  unity among emerging markets and developing countries. Under the new  circumstances, it is all the more important for BRICS countries to  pursue development with open doors and boost cooperation with open arms.  It is important to advance the process of BRICS membership expansion to  allow like-minded partners to become part of the BRICS family at an  early date. This will inject new vitality into BRICS cooperation and  increase the representativeness and influence of BRICS.

President Xi Jinping  stressed that as representatives of emerging markets and developing  countries, we must make the right decision and take responsible actions  at this critical juncture of history. What we do will have a significant  impact on the world. Let us stay united, pool strength and forge ahead  to build a community with a shared future for mankind and jointly create  a bright future for humanity.

The  leaders attending the summit thanked China for hosting this event and  the efforts it made for promoting BRICS cooperation. They believed that  facing international uncertainties, BRICS countries should strengthen  solidarity, carry forward the BRICS spirit, consolidate strategic  partnership and jointly respond to various challenges so that BRICS  cooperation can reach a new level and play a bigger role in  international affairs.

Under the theme of  “Foster High-quality BRICS Partnership, Usher in a New Era for Global  Development”, leaders of the five countries held in-depth exchange of  views on BRICS cooperation in various sectors and major issues of common  concern and reached important consensus. They agreed on the need to  stay committed to multilateralism, work for greater democracy in global  governance, safeguard fairness and justice, and inject stability and  positive energy into the turbulent international landscape. They agreed  on the need to jointly respond to COVID-19, give full play to such  mechanisms as the BRICS Vaccine R&D Center, promote fair and  equitable distribution of vaccines, and enhance preparedness in the face  of public health crises. They agreed on the need to deepen practical  economic cooperation, firmly defend the multilateral trading system,  work to foster an open world economy, oppose unilateral sanctions and  “long-arm jurisdiction”, strengthen cooperation in such fields as  digital economy, technological innovation, industrial and supply chains,  food and energy security, and jointly promote world economic recovery.  They agreed on the need to promote shared global development, give  priority to addressing the most pressing needs of developing countries,  eradicate poverty and hunger, address the challenge posed by climate  change together, expand the application of such technologies as  aerospace and big data in the field of development, accelerate the  implementation of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and  make BRICS contribution to jointly ushering in a new era of global  development. They agreed on the need to strengthen people-to-people and  cultural exchange and mutual learning and forge more signature projects  in various sectors including think tanks, political parties, media and  sports. They also agreed on the need to pursue “BRICS Plus” cooperation  at more levels, in broader areas and within a greater scope, actively  advance the BRICS membership expansion process, keep BRICS abreast of  the times, increase its appeal and relevance, and constantly strive for  substantive, solid and sustained progress.

The XIV BRICS Summit Beijing Declaration was adopted and released at the event.

The BRICS leaders were also briefed by representatives of relevant BRICS cooperation mechanisms on their work.

Ding Xuexiang, Wang Yi and He Lifeng, among others, attended the Summit.

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