Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday called on “BRICS Plus” countries to strive for common security, common development and harmony among civilisations.
Xi was speaking at the “BRICS Plus” leaders’ dialogue titled, “Combining the Great Strength of the Global South to Build Together a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind,” held in Kazan, Russia on Thursday (October 24).
He said that the collective rise of the Global South is a distinctive feature of the great transformation across the world, Xi and added that Global South countries marching together towards modernisation is monumental in world history and unprecedented in human civilisation.
Hotspot issues
Meanwhile, peace and development still faces severe challenges and the road to prosperity for the Global South will not be straight, he said urging “BRICS Plus” countries to use collective wisdom and strength and stand up to their responsibility to build a community with a shared future for mankind.
Chinese President Xi Jinping
addressing world leaders at the “BRICS Plus” leaders’ dialogue in Kazan, Russia
Xi said that “BRICS Plus” countries should uphold peace and strive for common security, come forward together to form a stabilising force for peace, strengthen global security governance, and explore solutions to address both symptoms and roots of hotspot issues.
He said that many parties have warmly responded to the Global Security Initiative he proposed. “Under the Initiative, we have made prominent progress in maintaining regional stability and in many other areas,” he said, adding that China and Brazil jointly issued the six-point consensus and launched the group of Friends for Peace on the Ukraine crisis together with other Global South countries.
He also called on “BRICS Plus” countries to promote early de-escalation to pave the way for political settlement.
He said that last July, Palestinian factions reconciled with each other in Beijing, marking a key step towards peace in the Middle East. “We should continue to promote a comprehensive ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and revive the two-State solution. We must stop the flames of war from spreading in Lebanon and end the miserable sufferings in Palestine and Lebanon,” Xi said.
Xi said that the Global South emerges for development and prospers through development, and added that “BRICS Plus” countries should reinvigorate development and strive for common prosperity, be the main driving force for common development, play an active and leading role in the global economic governance reform, and make development the core of international economic and trade agenda.
He said that the Global Development Initiative, since its introduction three years ago, has helped make available nearly 20 billion U.S. dollars of development fund and launch more than 1,100 projects. Recently, the Global Alliance on Artificial Intelligence for Industry and Manufacturing Centre of Excellence has been established in Shanghai.
China will build a World Smart Customs Community Portal and a BRICS Customs Center of Excellence, he said, adding that China welcomes active participation by all countries.
Garden of world civilisations
He said that the Global Civilisation Initiative he proposed is exactly for the purpose of building a garden of world civilisations “in which we can share and admire the beauty of each civilisation,” he said, adding that China will coordinate with others to form a Global South Think Tanks Alliance to promote people-to-people exchanges and experience-sharing in governance.
Xi said that the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China made systemic plans for further deepening reform comprehensively to advance Chinese modernisation, which will provide more opportunities for the world.
“Last month, we held in Beijing a successful summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and announced ten partnership actions for China and Africa to jointly advance modernisation. This will instill new energy for the Global South on its way toward modernisation,” he said.
Xi also said that no matter how the international landscape evolves, “We in China will always keep the Global South in our heart, and maintain our roots in the Global South.”
China supports more Global South countries in joining the cause of BRICS as full members, partner countries or in the “BRICS Plus” format “so that we can combine the great strength of the Global South to build together a community with a shared future for mankind,” he said. – Xinhua
