Xinhua News Agency, Kazan, Russia, October 23

Broadening Horizons, Piercing Through Clouds and Mist: Promoting High-Quality Development of 'Greater BRICS Cooperation'

——Remarks at the 16th BRICS Summit

(October 23, 2024, Kazan)

Xi Jinping, President of the People's Republic of China

President Putin,

Dear colleagues,

Congratulations on the successful convening of the summit. Thank you to President Putin and the host country, Russia, for their thoughtful arrangements and warm hospitality.

I would like to take this opportunity to once again welcome the new members to the BRICS family. Expansion is a significant milestone in the history of BRICS development and a landmark event in the evolution of the international landscape. At this summit, we have decided to invite several more countries to become BRICS partner countries. This is another important development in the process of BRICS development. The Chinese often say, "A gentleman acts in accordance with righteousness, and profit follows." The coming together of BRICS nations is based on common pursuits and in response to the global trend towards peace and development. We must make good use of this summit, maintain the momentum of BRICS development, plan overarching, directional, and strategic issues, work together with one heart and one mind, forge ahead courageously, and propel the BRICS collective to set off again.

Currently, the world is entering a new period of turbulence and transformation, facing critical choices. Should we allow the world to remain in turmoil, or should we strive to guide it back to the right path of peaceful development? I am reminded of the Russian writer Chernyshevsky's work, What Is to Be Done?, whose protagonist's strong will and fighting spirit are precisely the spiritual strength we need today. The greater the storms of the times, the more we must bravely stand at the forefront, with unwavering determination, pioneering courage, and the wisdom to adapt to change, to forge BRICS into a major channel for promoting solidarity and cooperation among the Global South and a vanguard force driving reform of global governance.

——We must build a 'Peaceful BRICS,' acting as a guardian of common security. Humanity is an indivisible community of security. Only by practicing a common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable security outlook can we forge a path towards universal security. The Ukraine crisis continues to drag on. China and Brazil, together with relevant countries in the Global South, have initiated the 'Friends of Peace' initiative on the Ukraine crisis, aiming to gather more voices committed to peace. We must uphold the three principles of 'no spillover of the battlefield, no escalation of the war, and no fanning the flames by any party,' and promote a rapid de-escalation of the situation. The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip continues to deteriorate, fighting has broken out in Lebanon, and conflicts between relevant parties are further escalating. We must promote a rapid ceasefire and an end to the killing, and work tirelessly for a comprehensive, just, and lasting solution to the Palestinian issue.

——We must build an 'Innovative BRICS,' acting as a pioneer of high-quality development. The new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation is developing rapidly. We must keep pace with the times and cultivate new productive forces. China has recently established the China-BRICS Artificial Intelligence Development and Cooperation Center, and is willing to deepen innovation cooperation with all parties to unleash the potential of artificial intelligence. China will establish the BRICS International Research Center for Deep-Sea Resources, the BRICS Special Economic Zone China Cooperation Center, the BRICS Industrial Capacity China Center, and the BRICS Digital Industry Ecosystem Cooperation Network. We welcome all parties to actively participate and promote the upgrading of BRICS cooperation.

——We must build a 'Green BRICS,' acting as a practitioner of sustainable development. Green is the underlying color of this era, and BRICS countries must actively integrate into the global green and low-carbon transformation. China's high-quality production capacity in electric vehicles, lithium batteries, and photovoltaic products has provided important support for global green development. China is willing to leverage its own advantages and expand cooperation with BRICS countries in green industries, clean energy, and green minerals, promoting the "greenification" of the entire industrial chain, enriching the "green content" of cooperation, and enhancing the "gold content" of development.

——We must build a 'Just BRICS,' acting as a leader in reforming the global governance system. The balance of international power is undergoing profound changes, but reforms to the global governance system have long been lagging. We must practice true multilateralism, uphold the global governance outlook of shared consultation, joint construction, and shared benefits, and guide global governance reform with the principles of fairness, justice, openness, and inclusiveness. We must respond to the rise of the Global South and actively respond to the calls of countries to join the BRICS cooperation mechanism, promote the expansion and establishment of partner countries, and enhance the representation and voice of developing countries in global governance.

Under the current circumstances, the urgency of reforming the international financial architecture is particularly prominent. BRICS countries must play a leading role, deepen financial cooperation, promote interconnectivity of financial infrastructure, maintain high-level financial security, expand and strengthen the New Development Bank, and promote a better reflection of the changes in the world economic landscape in the international financial system.

——We must build a 'People-to-People BRICS,' acting as an advocate for harmonious coexistence of civilizations. BRICS countries are home to profound history and brilliant cultures. We must actively advocate for the inclusive coexistence of different civilizations, strengthen the exchange of experience in governance, tap the potential for cooperation in education, sports, and art, and allow different civilizations to shine brightly, illuminating the path forward for BRICS. Last year, I proposed the BRICS Digital Education Cooperation Initiative, and I am pleased to see that this mechanism has been implemented. China will implement the BRICS Digital Education Capacity Building Plan, establishing 10 overseas learning centers in BRICS countries over the next five years, providing training opportunities for 1,000 educational administrators and students, and helping to deepen and solidify people-to-people exchanges within BRICS.

Dear colleagues!

China is willing to work with all BRICS countries to create a new situation of high-quality development of 'Greater BRICS Cooperation' and work together with countries in the Global South to jointly promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind!

Thank you!