Wang Yi, State Councilor and Foreign Minister, presided over a virtual meeting of BRICS Foreign Affairs/International Relations Ministers in Beijing. The conference was attended by Naledi Pandor, the South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Carlos Alberto Franco França, the Brazilian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, and Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, the Indian External Affairs Minister.
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KEY POINTS:
- At the meeting’s opening session, President Xi Jinping gave a video speech. President Xi Jinping spoke highly of the importance of the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, elaborated on security and development, and expressed important views on deepening BRICS political and security cooperation, according to Wang Yi, pointing out the direction for us to make this meeting a success.
- The BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, according to Wang Yi, is a crucial platform for BRICS political and security cooperation.
- They issued a common message on significant international issues of shared concern on multilateral platforms during the last five years, under the strategic guidance of BRICS leaders, and we have resolutely preserved the five nations’ common interests.
- Due to enormous changes in the world and the COVID-19 pandemic, both of which have not been witnessed in a century, a range of new features and difficulties have evolved in the international scene.
- People need to know where we’re going, what the overall trend is, how to develop consensus, how to strengthen confidence, and how to understand and adapt to change.
- The foreign ministers in attendance commended President Xi Jinping for giving an important address at the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, stating that it perfectly reflected China’s high regard for BRICS cooperation.
- All parties praised China’s active and effective work as the rotating chair, and expressed a desire to maintain close communication and collaboration with China, as well as make active efforts to ensure a successful BRICS Summit hosted by China.
- The foreign ministers praised China’s proactive role in combating the pandemic and addressing global climate change, and expressed their willingness to expand cooperation in pandemic response, trade, health, people-to-people and cultural affairs, climate change, and other areas, as well as fully implement the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, to benefit people in developing countries and promote the creation of a global community with a shared future for humanity.
- Foreign ministers expressed support for the BRICS expansion process, stating that further conversations will take place on the subject.
- The foreign ministers also discussed Ukraine, Afghanistan, and other major concerns in the region.
- The summit resulted in the release of the BRICS Joint Statement on Strengthening BRICS Solidarity and Cooperation, Responding to New Features and Challenges in the International Situation.
- They should continue to show openness and inclusion, as well as lead by example in terms of unity and strength.
- It is critical to make effective use of the BRICS Plus model, to explore BRICS Plus collaboration at more levels, in more areas, and with a broader scope, to build solidarity and cooperation with emerging markets and developing nations, and to contribute more to global peace and development.
Important Points of President Xi Jinping Address
First Point:
- To begin, look for the lowest common denominator of universal security. President Xi Jinping recently announced the Global Security Initiative, which outlines a strategy for bridging the peace gap and resolving the global security crisis.
- Any attempt to achieve absolute security or exclusive security in today’s globe would fail due to the interdependence of countries.
- They must move beyond the I-win-you-lose Cold War attitude, respect and ensure each country’s security, and replace confrontation, coercion, alliance, and zero-sum thinking with conversation, collaboration, partnership, and win-win outcomes.
- They should act in accordance with true multilateralism, opposing unilateral sanctions and “long-arm jurisdiction.” It is critical to put the notion of indivisible security into practise and to encourage the development of a balanced, effective, and long-term regional security architecture.
- The BRICS countries should maintain their independence, objectivity, and impartiality, speak up for peace, do their best for peace, and assist Russia and Ukraine in their efforts to reach a peaceful resolution through communication and negotiation.
Second Point:
- For common development, try to draw concentric circles. President Xi Jinping has proposed the Global Development Initiative (GDI), which offers a Chinese response to global development issues.
- More than 100 countries and several international organisations, including the United Nations, have expressed supportive support for the GDI, and more than 50 countries have joined the GDI’s Group of Friends. Every country has an equal right to development.
- It’s critical to prioritise the 2030 Agenda’s implementation in the international cooperation agenda, and to pay close attention to poor nations’ actual challenges.
- Developed countries should take seriously their pledges and provide more finance, technology, and capacity-building assistance to poor countries.
Third Point:
- Work to create a human health firewall. The international pandemic response is at a vital juncture, and we must not squander it by giving up midway.
- They must work together to provide support, better coordinate response measures, and strengthen global health governance.
- China follows the dynamic zero-COVID policy, which aims to halt the pandemic’s spread as quickly as possible at the lowest possible cost, preserve people’s lives and health to the greatest extent possible, and minimise the pandemic’s impact on economic and social growth.
- The policy reflects a sense of duty toward the Chinese people as well as the rest of the globe.
Fourth Point:
- Make an effort to pool good global governance energy. Global challenges are surfacing one after the other right now.
- We can only deal with them appropriately by mobilising global resources and coordinating global efforts.
- Small circles can’t address the great issues that the entire globe is facing, and small groupings can’t adapt to today’s important changes.
- They must firmly defend the international system, which is centred on the United Nations and is anchored by international law, and ensure that everyone is involved in international affairs, international laws are set by everyone, and development outcomes are shared by everyone.