Xi charts course for greater BRICS cooperation: Chinese FM

Chinese President Xi Jinping's attendance at the BRICS summit in India is of strategic significance for steering the high-quality development of greater BRICS cooperation, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Sunday.

The South Asian trip also promoted strength through unity among Global South countries, Wang said.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks while briefing reporters on Xi's visit to India to attend the 18th BRICS Summit on Saturday and Sunday.

First, Xi's visit injected fresh impetus into BRICS cooperation.

The Chinese president summed up the development of BRICS over the past two decades with three key phrases: self-reliance and self-strengthening, standing together through wind and rain, and fruitful outcomes, Wang said.

Standing at a new historical starting point, Xi called on BRICS countries to be pioneers in advancing innovation-driven development, upholding peace and stability, facilitating mutual learning between civilizations, and reforming and improving global governance, Wang said.

In 2027, the BRICS will usher in its fourth "China Year." Xi announced that China will take this opportunity to work with all parties to build consensus, open up prospects for the future, and embark on the third golden decade of BRICS cooperation, Wang said.

Second, Xi's visit empowered the Global South, Wang said.

Xi put forward four important proposals to strengthen the Global South: jointly defending the rule of law in international affairs and ensuring that international law and international rules are applied to all; holding high the banner of multilateralism and upholding the authority and role of the United Nations; staying committed to a people-centered development philosophy and striving to deliver on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; and jointly advancing security governance and tackling both traditional and nontraditional security threats, Wang said.

Focusing on the new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, Xi proposed initiatives including the BRICS initiative of AI-empowered new industrialization, the open source and inclusive AI initiative, the digital industry cooperation initiative, and the intelligent manufacturing cooperation initiative, Wang said.

Third, Xi's visit guided China-India relations, Wang said.

Xi and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi conducted a candid and in-depth exchange of views on strategic, long-term and directional issues concerning China-India relations, Wang said, noting that the most important consensus they reached was that China and India should be partners.