Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasizes opposition to 'Cold War thinking' at BRICS summit

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Kwon Sook-hee = Chinese President Xi Jinping, who visited India to attend the BRICS summit, a group of non-Western emerging economies led by China and Russia, said on the 12th (local time), "We must oppose Cold War thinking and factional confrontation, and also oppose infringement on other countries' sovereignty and interference in their internal affairs."

According to China's official Xinhua News Agency, President Xi attended the 18th BRICS Summit held at the Bharat Mandapam International Convention Center in New Delhi, India and said in a speech, "China will play its due role in realizing peace and stability in the Middle East and Gulf region together with BRICS member countries."

He continued, "The situation in the Middle East and Gulf region is still evolving in a complex way," and urged, "Each side involved must stick to the direction of a political solution and push for a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire to be realized."

Although President Xi did not directly name a specific country that day, it is interpreted as a series of remarks with the United States, which is at war with Iran, in mind.

President Xi also said, "The war in the Middle East has caused serious damage to the people of each country in the region and is not in line with the common interests of the international community."

In his speech, President Xi announced that China is the BRICS chair country next year and that the 19th BRICS Summit will be held in China.

He also emphasized that this year marks the 20th anniversary of the BRICS cooperation.

President Xi emphasized that BRICS member countries must strengthen cooperation in artificial intelligence (AI), proposing a 'BRICS AI-based new industrialization initiative' and saying he hoped each country would deepen industrial and supply chain cooperation.

He also added that he welcomes the active participation of BRICS member countries in the World AI Cooperation Organization, which was launched this year under the leadership of China.

He also said, "The BRICS countries have joined hands in responding to challenges such as the international financial crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, and climate change. By firmly protecting the common interests of the Global South (a collective term for emerging and developing countries mainly located in the Southern Hemisphere), we have provided stability and positive energy to the world."

President Xi continued, "BRICS has entered a new stage of qualitative development of 'great BRICS cooperation' by continuously deepening cooperation in trade, investment, finance, science and technology, etc."

President Xi, who visited India for the first time in seven years since 2019, also holds a bilateral meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

President Xi and Prime Minister Modi met on the occasion of the 2024 BRICS Summit held in Kazan, Russia, and met again last year at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit held in Tianjin, China.