DEVELOPMENT AS KEY

Last September, Xi put forward a Global Development Initiative, calling on all parties to forge united, equal, balanced and inclusive global development partnership.

The initiative aims to arouse the attention of the international community on development issues, promote the strengthening of the global development partnership, effectively respond to the challenges posed by the pandemic, help developing countries speed up recovery, and achieve the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals as scheduled, according to the Global Development Report.

"Development holds the key to solving various difficult problems and delivering better lives to the people," Xi said at the opening ceremony of the BRICS Business Forum on Wednesday.

On this important occasion, Xi urged strengthening cooperation to better safeguard food and energy security, seize opportunities presented by the new scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, help developing countries speed up the development of the digital economy and green transformation, and engage in cooperation on COVID-19 response to beat the virus at an early date.

Just as Xi put it, "BRICS is not a talking shop, but a task force that gets things done."

In 2018, the BRICS Johannesburg summit endorsed the BRICS Partnership on New Industrial Revolution proposed by China and South Africa. Two years later, China announced the establishment of a BRICS Partnership on New Industrial Revolution innovation center in Xiamen. So far, more than 120,000 personnel from 28 countries have been trained and more than 100 BRICS demonstration projects have been launched.

Xi on Wednesday called on business leaders to actively participate in building the BRICS Partnership on New Industrial Revolution, strengthen cooperation on the digital economy, smart manufacturing, clean energy and low-carbon technology, and support the industrial restructuring and upgrading in BRICS countries.

OPEN, INCLUSIVE

Since its inception, the BRICS mechanism has set the right direction for openness and inclusiveness. China proposed the "BRICS Plus" cooperation model at the Xiamen summit in 2017.

"We may explore 'BRICS Plus' cooperation within the United Nations, the G20, and other frameworks to advance the common interests and boost the development space for emerging markets and developing countries, thus contributing more to world peace and development through broader partnerships," Xi said at the plenary session of the BRICS Johannesburg summit.

"As a cooperation platform with global influence, BRICS cooperation is more than about our five countries. Rather, it carries the expectations of emerging markets and developing countries and indeed the international community," Xi has said.

Under China's chairmanship, more than 70 meetings and events have been held since the start of the year on fields including political security, economy, trade and finance, cultural and people-to-people exchanges, sustainable development and public health.

This year, the "BRICS Plus" dialogue was elevated to the foreign minister level for the first time. China will encourage BRICS parties to continue in-depth discussions on membership expansion, expand the reach and benefits of BRICS cooperation, and use the "BRICS Plus" model to enable more countries to get on the express train of development.

"Despite changes in an evolving global environment, the historical trend of openness and development will not reverse course, and our shared desire to meet challenges together through cooperation will remain as strong as ever," Xi said Wednesday, urging countries to rise to challenge and forge ahead with resolve toward the goal of building a community with a shared future for humanity.