Xi Jinping attended the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Meeting and delivered an important speech

China News Service, Beijing, September 14 (Reporters Li Jingze and Xie Yanbing) Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun hosted a regular press conference on the 14th.

A reporter asked: President Xi Jinping attended the 18th BRICS leaders’ meeting in New Delhi, India. Can the spokesperson provide further information? China will take over the BRICS chairmanship next year. What role will it play in promoting the development of BRICS cooperation?

Guo Jiakun: From September 12 to 13, President Xi Jinping was invited to attend the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Meeting in India. He attended the first and second phase meetings and delivered important speeches respectively. He discussed development plans and a new chapter of cooperation with BRICS leaders.

This year coincides with the 20th anniversary of BRICS cooperation. President Xi Jinping summarized the development history of the BRICS with the three keywords of "self-reliance and self-reliance, staying together through thick and thin, and fruitful results" and pointed out that over the past 20 years, the BRICS cooperation mechanism has continued to grow and develop, showing great vitality and becoming the most influential cooperation platform for emerging markets and developing countries in the world today. President Xi Jinping emphasized that the BRICS countries must stand firmly on the right side of history and be the pioneers in promoting innovative development, safeguarding peace and stability, promoting mutual learning among civilizations, and reforming and improving global governance. Countries in the Global South must jointly defend the international rule of law, hold high the banner of multilateralism, adhere to the people-centered development philosophy, work together to promote security governance, lead the international order in a more just and reasonable direction, and work together to build a community with a shared future for mankind. President Xi Jinping pointed out that if the "Big BRICS" is to make great achievements and achieve great development, it must build a solid foundation for pragmatic cooperation. During the meeting, President Xi Jinping proposed a number of initiatives including BRICS open source artificial intelligence open source, digital industry cooperation, and smart manufacturing cooperation. He announced that China would take the lead in building a BRICS open source artificial intelligence zone, establish a BRICS digital industry cloud platform, and implement a series of pragmatic cooperation measures such as the BRICS youth science and technology exchange plan. It is committed to helping countries in the global South improve their capabilities, benefit equally, and let emerging technologies light the road to common prosperity.

Next year, China will serve as the BRICS chair and host the 19th BRICS leaders’ meeting. China is willing to work with all parties to build consensus, create a future, open the third "golden decade" of BRICS cooperation, and create a bright future for BRICS prosperity and progress.