Zukiswa Roboji, a researcher at Walter Sisulu University in South Africa, made the remarks in a recent interview with Xinhua ahead of the upcoming BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, from Oct. 22 to 24.
“BRICS has undoubtedly made notable strides in recent years,” said Roboji. “One of the most significant achievements is expanding the group to include more nations, showcasing its growing appeal and relevance in a shifting geopolitical landscape.”
Roboji said the BRICS mechanism offers emerging economies easier access to financial resources and better opportunities for trade, investment and development.
The expert noted that the New Development Bank has funded critical infrastructure projects in Global South countries, helping them address pressing development challenges. She said this has empowered those countries by giving them access to much-needed funding while allowing them to maintain greater independence over their own development paths.
BRICS represents a shift toward multipolarity, appealing to nations seeking to diversify relations and reduce reliance on Western powers, according to Roboji.
Its commitment to multilateralism and global governance reform “aligns with the interests of emerging economies aiming to have a stronger voice in international decision-making,” said Roboji.
“Additionally, BRICS focuses on cooperation in technology, energy and climate change, making it an attractive partner for countries seeking sustainable growth while addressing global challenges,” she said.
As the group expands, she added, “its potential to reshape global economic and political dynamics continues to draw interest from nations looking for strategic alignment beyond the traditional power centers.”
In this context, Roboji explained, BRICS has become an increasingly important platform for Global South countries.
BRICS has increasingly extended its outreach to African nations, facilitating investments and partnerships in sectors like energy, infrastructure and technology, she said.
“For instance, the Belt and Road Initiative, supported by BRICS cooperation, has led to significant infrastructure development in African countries,” said Roboji. “This partnership boosts Africa’s economic growth and reduces its dependency on Western aid and investment, allowing African nations to negotiate more equitable terms and foster South-South cooperation.”
The expert said that BRICS has provided concrete benefits to Global South countries by fostering unity, enhancing their representation in global governance, and promoting more just and sustainable development pathways.
“Through economic initiatives, advocacy for institutional reform, and principled stands on sovereignty and non-interference, BRICS has become an essential platform for addressing the aspirations and challenges of the Global South,” Roboji said.
The newly expanded group is expected to strengthen cooperation among nations of the Global South and advance efforts to face those challenges and improve global governance toward greater equity and inclusiveness.
BRICS is not merely a political or economic cooperation mechanism but a platform for diverse nations to work together on common goals of development and prosperity. Its expansion reflects the consensus within the Global South that a wider array of voices must be included in addressing the complex issues facing the world today.
This inclusive approach offers a valuable complement to existing global institutions. While organizations such as the United Nations and the World Bank remain crucial, BRICS brings new energy and perspectives by prioritizing the needs and aspirations of the Global South.
A key contribution of BRICS lies in its efforts to advance inclusive economic globalization. For decades, the benefits of global economic growth have disproportionately flowed to the West, leaving much of the developing world on the margins. Closer and enlarged BRICS cooperation promises to rebalance this dynamic by promoting investment, infrastructure development, and trade that align with the specific priorities of the Global South.
The expansion of BRICS further reinforces its commitment to inclusiveness by bringing in new members from diverse political and economic backgrounds, ensuring that underrepresented regions have a greater voice in global affairs.
BRICS’ dedication to inclusiveness, common development, and shared progress also demonstrates a commitment to strengthening multilateralism at a time when global cooperation is in dire need. As geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainties grow, the ability of diverse nations to come together and find common ground is more important than ever.
Since its inception, BRICS has prioritized open dialogue, consensus-building, and mutual respect, principles essential for addressing complex global challenges such as climate change, public health crises, and sustainable development. As the BRICS family is growing bigger, this collaborative approach not only deepens trust among member nations but also ensures that their solutions meet the needs and aspirations of the Global South.
As BRICS grows, it plays a more critical role in fostering more inclusive and equitable global governance. In a world that increasingly demands cooperation, the expanded BRICS offers a vision grounded in the belief that common development and sustainable progress require collaboration among nations, large and small.
As the challenges of the 21st century become more intertwined, the world needs platforms like BRICS that bring more nations together to figure out feasible solutions and build a sustainable future for all.
Commenting on this summit, Al Jazeera said that leading countries of the Global South are looking for “a greater say in a global order dominated by the West.” Steven Gruzd, an analyst at the South African Institute of International Affairs, said: “It does reflect on the growing assertiveness and confidence of the BRICS grouping, not waiting for the West.”
BRICS is an important force in shaping the international landscape. Advancing a more just and equitable international order has been a consistent theme in Xi’s remarks on BRICS cooperation.
Effective coordination between BRICS members and other Global South countries is “adding more bricks to the global governance architecture,” said Wang Lei, the Chinese expert with Beijing Normal University.
The New Development Bank (NDB) exemplifies this effort. “The establishment of the bank serves as a beneficial supplement and improvement to the existing financial system,” Xi said, “which can encourage deeper reflection and more active reforms in the global financial system.”
During a meeting with Dilma Rousseff, former Brazilian President and incumbent NDB chief, in Beijing in 2023, Xi called on the NDB to help with the modernization of more developing countries. Rousseff shares Xi’s vision. “It is a vision that we don’t want BRICS to speak just for a few countries. What we want is for most countries to be part of BRICS,” she told Xinhua.
As Xi has observed, strengthening global governance is the right choice if the international community intends to share development opportunities and tackle global challenges.
“Economically, non-Western nations — with BRICS at the vanguard — are pushing the globe into a new reality: An emerging economic, social, and monetary status quo that is upending what the world has accepted as normal for nearly eight decades,” Jeff D. Opdyke, a global investment expert, has observed.
To Guan Zhaoyu, a research fellow with the Eurasian Studies Institute at Renmin University of China, BRICS cooperation “is neither anti-Western nor aimed at overthrowing the existing global order, but rather constructively reforming its unfair aspects to give more opportunities to the developing world.”
Xi maintains that development is an inalienable right of all countries, not a privilege of a few countries. Under his grand vision to build a community with a shared future for mankind, China has been joining hands with other developing countries in advancing their respective modernization.
China will always be a member of the Global South and the developing world, Xi has said on various occasions.
“President Xi has sent out a very clear message: China will unite with other emerging markets and developing countries in the process of global modernization and make sure no one is left behind,” said Guan.
“Measured by GDP, the BRICS countries have already surpassed the G7 in importance,” said the former Brazilian president.
BRICS is an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, five major emerging markets with considerable economic potential. Other than the countries that became new full members on Jan. 1, 2024, over 30 countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Türkiye and Azerbaijan have either formally applied for or expressed interest in its membership, while many other developing countries are seeking deeper cooperation with the group.
The BRICS countries have realized that it is very important for emerging and developing countries to have proper mechanisms and instruments, thus the NDB and the Contingent Reserve Arrangement were established, Rousseff said.
During the bloc’s sixth summit in Fortaleza, Brazil in July 2014, leaders of the initial five countries witnessed the signing of the Agreement on the New Development Bank.
The NDB is designed to guarantee much-needed investments in infrastructure, such as in logistics and digital areas, in social infrastructure, like school and university structures, as well as in science, technology and innovation, and also in health, she said.
The NDB serves as a significant platform for international cooperation that transcends the territorial boundaries, which not only amplifies the voices of BRICS countries but also represents the shared aspirations of other nations, she added.
Headquartered in Shanghai, the NDB was jointly established by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa in 2014 to mobilize resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in BRICS member nations and other emerging market economies and developing countries.
In 2021, the bank started expanding its membership with Bangladesh, the United Arab Emirates, Uruguay and Egypt as new members.
The NDB has, since its launch, invested nearly 35 billion U.S. dollars in sectors such as clean energy and energy efficiency, transportation infrastructure, water resources and sanitation, and digital infrastructure, playing a positive role in improving global economic governance.
A steadfast champion of BRICS cooperation, Xi once compared its five members back then to the five fingers of one hand: They are short and long if extended, but form a powerful fist if clenched together. Now that hand has grown bigger and stronger, as its membership expanded last year, yet the essence of Xi’s metaphor is just becoming more relevant.
With the world trudging on in a new period of turbulence and transformation, the leader of the largest developing country is poised to help guide BRICS, the leading echelon of the Global South, to play a bigger role in building a better shared future for humanity.
{{GOLDEN VALUE}}
BRICS, an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, is literally called “gold bricks” in Chinese, indicating optimism for its great potential and shining future.
The sanguine view features prominently in Xi’s engagement with the group. He has consistently placed BRICS high on China’s foreign policy agenda. His first appearance on the multilateral stage as China’s head of state was at the 2013 BRICS summit in Durban, South Africa, and he visited all other four BRICS countries during the first two years of his presidency.
“China led by President Xi Jinping has contributed significantly to the success of BRICS,” noted Bunn Nagara, a senior China researcher in Malaysia.
Thanks to the joint efforts of its members, the golden value of BRICS has kept rising. World Bank data show that the share of BRICS in global GDP grew from 18 percent in 2010 to about 26 percent in 2021, with increases in all years during the period.
Among the drivers of its remarkable growth is a strong orientation toward real results. “BRICS is not a talking shop, but a task force that gets things done,” Xi once stressed.
Following this spirit, practical cooperation has always been the foundation of the BRICS mechanism, a good example of which is the launch of the New Development Bank (NDB). Headquartered in Shanghai, the multilateral institution had approved 105 projects in all member countries for approximately 35 billion U.S. dollars by the end of 2023.
In view of BRICS’ evolving development needs, Xi, at the 2017 summit in China’s coastal city of Xiamen, joined other member leaders in formally incorporating cultural and people-to-people exchanges into the engines of BRICS cooperation, in order to further enhance the bond between these nations and reinforce the foundation of BRICS interaction.
Powered by the three engines, namely political and security, economic and financial, as well as cultural and people-to-people exchanges, the BRICS cooperation has witnessed even more substantial progress and growing popular support.
The unique value of the BRICS cooperation goes beyond economic terms, and the mechanism is an innovation of international cooperation, which is in marked contrast to some protectionist, exclusive political, military or economic alliances in the West, said Wang Lei, director of the BRICS Cooperation Research Center at Beijing Normal University.
In Xi’s words, the BRICS cooperation transcends the old formula of political and military alliances, the old mindset of drawing lines on the basis of ideology as well as the obsolete notion of “you-win-I-lose” and “winner-takes-all.”
The golden track record, as many observers have pointed out, has not only amply busted various gloom-and-doom claims such as that BRICS is nothing but “a motley crew,” but also significantly increased its appeal to the rest of the world.
{{GREATER BRICS}}
On Aug. 24 morning last year, the Sandton Convention Center in Johannesburg erupted with applause upon the announcement of BRICS’ historic expansion. That, Xi said at the press conference, demonstrates “the determination of BRICS countries and developing nations to unite.”
Since the inception of the BRICS mechanism, openness and inclusiveness have remained its members’ abiding commitment. Xi has repeatedly emphasized that BRICS countries gather not in a closed club or an exclusive circle. “A tree cannot make a forest,” he said as early as at his BRICS summit debut in Durban in 2013. A year later at the Fortaleza summit in Brazil, he proposed the “BRICS spirit” of openness, inclusiveness, and win-win cooperation.
With such an open mind, the group developed a tradition of inviting leaders of other countries to its summits. Then at the 2017 gathering in Xiamen, an ancient port city that has evolved into a dynamic hub in China’s opening-up and reform, Xi built on that outreach practice and put forward the “BRICS Plus” program, encouraging more participation of other emerging markets and developing nations.
In fact, this southern Chinese city of Xiamen happened to be where Xi came to work as deputy mayor in 1985 at 32. Now, under Xi’s initiative, an innovation base for the BRICS partnership on the new industrial revolution has taken root there.
Over the years, with profound changes reshaping the world at a degree rarely seen in history, the Chinese president has unwaveringly championed openness and cooperation. “Under the new circumstances, it is all the more important for BRICS countries to pursue development with open doors and boost cooperation with open arms,” Xi said at the 14th BRICS summit in 2022.
A year later, more than 60 countries gathered in Johannesburg for the BRICS summit. The gathering “is not an exercise of asking countries to take sides, nor an exercise of creating bloc confrontation,” Xi said. “Rather, it is an endeavor to expand the architecture of peace and development.”
Other than the countries that became new full members on Jan. 1, 2024, more than 30 nations have also formally applied to join BRICS, while many other developing countries are seeking deeper cooperation with the group.
“There is a reason why these countries choose to join BRICS,” said Mekhri Aliev, a board director of the BRICS innovation base in Xiamen. “Because they see future, they see potentials and opportunities within the BRICS.”
{{BIGGER VOICE}}
Three months after its expansion decision, BRICS convened an extraordinary joint summit on the Gaza situation with leaders of invited members, as well as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. That was a first-of-its-kind meeting for the group. The meeting, as Xi said, marks “a good start” for greater BRICS cooperation following its enlargement.
Commenting on this summit, Al Jazeera said that leading countries of the Global South are looking for “a greater say in a global order dominated by the West.” Steven Gruzd, an analyst at the South African Institute of International Affairs, said: “It does reflect on the growing assertiveness and confidence of the BRICS grouping, not waiting for the West.”
BRICS is an important force in shaping the international landscape. Advancing a more just and equitable international order has been a consistent theme in Xi’s remarks on BRICS cooperation.
Effective coordination between BRICS members and other Global South countries is “adding more bricks to the global governance architecture,” said Wang Lei, the Chinese expert with Beijing Normal University.
The New Development Bank (NDB) exemplifies this effort. “The establishment of the bank serves as a beneficial supplement and improvement to the existing financial system,” Xi said, “which can encourage deeper reflection and more active reforms in the global financial system.”
During a meeting with Dilma Rousseff, former Brazilian President and incumbent NDB chief, in Beijing in 2023, Xi called on the NDB to help with the modernization of more developing countries. Rousseff shares Xi’s vision. “It is a vision that we don’t want BRICS to speak just for a few countries. What we want is for most countries to be part of BRICS,” she told Xinhua.
As Xi has observed, strengthening global governance is the right choice if the international community intends to share development opportunities and tackle global challenges.
“Economically, non-Western nations — with BRICS at the vanguard — are pushing the globe into a new reality: An emerging economic, social, and monetary status quo that is upending what the world has accepted as normal for nearly eight decades,” Jeff D. Opdyke, a global investment expert, has observed.
To Guan Zhaoyu, a research fellow with the Eurasian Studies Institute at Renmin University of China, BRICS cooperation “is neither anti-Western nor aimed at overthrowing the existing global order, but rather constructively reforming its unfair aspects to give more opportunities to the developing world.”
Xi maintains that development is an inalienable right of all countries, not a privilege of a few countries. Under his grand vision to build a community with a shared future for mankind, China has been joining hands with other developing countries in advancing their respective modernization.
China will always be a member of the Global South and the developing world, Xi has said on various occasions.
“President Xi has sent out a very clear message: China will unite with other emerging markets and developing countries in the process of global modernization and make sure no one is left behind,” said Guan.
BRICS is an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, five major emerging markets with considerable economic potential. It has now evolved into an influential international cooperation mechanism with an expanded membership.
Over the past 18 years, China has upheld the BRICS spirit of openness, inclusiveness, and win-win cooperation and helped drive the BRICS cooperation mechanism to a new level, serving as a constructive force for safeguarding world peace, promoting common development, improving global governance and facilitating democratization of international relations.
This year marks the beginning of greater BRICS cooperation. During the upcoming summit, the first such gathering to be held after the BRICS expansion, Xi and leaders of other BRICS countries are expected to draw a blueprint for the development of its mechanism, inject new impetus into a multipolar world, facilitate economic globalization and democratization of international relations, and open up a new chapter for the solidarity and development of the Global South.
{{NEW STARTING POINT}}
“BRICS is an important force in shaping the international landscape. We choose our development paths independently, jointly defend our right to development, and march in tandem toward modernization. This represents the direction of the advancement of human society, and will profoundly impact the development process of the world,” said Xi during the 15th BRICS Summit in August 2023.
Other than the countries that officially joined the BRICS family on Jan. 1, 2024, over 30 countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Türkiye and Azerbaijan have either formally applied for or expressed interest in its membership.
After the expansion, the BRICS countries account for about 30 percent of the global GDP, nearly half of the global population and one-fifth of global trade.
China has been committed to deepening mutually beneficial cooperation with its BRICS partners. In the first quarter of this year, China’s imports and exports to BRICS countries increased by more than 11 percent year on year.
Ahmed Al-Ali, a researcher based in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), said that the BRICS has become an important engine to drive global economic recovery and maintain world peace and stability thanks to its steady economic growth, and equal and extensive cooperation opportunities.
“Ethiopia’s BRICS membership could significantly boost the country’s socio-economic development through various economic opportunities, including increased investment, expanded South-South cooperation and trade partnerships,” said Balew Demissie, a researcher at the Policy Studies Institute of Ethiopia.
China’s cooperation with other BRICS members has strongly defended multilateralism and promoted the democratization of international relations, said Evandro Carvalho, a Brazilian professor at the Getulio Vargas Foundation, an economic think tank.
The appeal of the BRICS cooperation mechanism comes from its spirit of openness, inclusiveness, and win-win cooperation. “BRICS countries gather not in a closed club or an exclusive circle, but a big family of mutual support and a partnership for win-win cooperation,” Xi said during the 14th BRICS Summit in June 2022.
From the “BRICS Plus” cooperation approach proposed in 2017 to the historic expansion of BRICS membership, the mechanism is widely welcomed, with growing influence and appeal.
The BRICS cooperation mechanism respects the interests of all parties involved and is an “attractive platform for cooperation and mutual benefit,” said Elshad Mammadov, an Azerbaijani economics expert.
{{FRUITFUL ACHIEVEMENTS}}
At present, the mechanism is at a crucial stage of building on past achievements and ushering in a new era of cooperation. China is working with other BRICS partners, embarking on a new journey of greater BRICS cooperation.
“We should navigate the trend of our times and stay in the forefront. We should always bear in mind our founding purpose of strengthening ourselves through unity, enhance cooperation across the board, and build a high-quality partnership. We should help reform global governance to make it more just and equitable, and bring to the world more certainty, stability and positive energy,” Xi has said.
Applauding more participants and exploring new ways of cooperation within the mechanism, the BRICS countries will also have more opportunities and their roles in the global arena will continue to expand, said Ivan Melnikov, first vice-chairman of the Russian State Duma and chairman of the Russia-China Friendship Association.
China and its BRICS partners have worked together to advance practical cooperation and deepen mutual benefit, setting up projects such as the China-BRICS Science and Innovation Incubation Park for the New Era and the China-BRICS AI Development and Cooperation Center, as well as hosting the BRICS Forum on Partnership on New Industrial Revolution and BRICS Industrial Innovation Contest.
Set up by the BRICS and opened in 2015, the New Development Bank (NDB) aims to mobilize resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in BRICS and other emerging market economies and developing countries.
Meanwhile, people-to-people and cultural exchanges among BRICS countries are in full swing, with popular events such as film festivals, sports games, and co-productions of films and documentaries.
The first special session for BRICS countries of the International Youth Poetry Festival kicked off in the Southeastern Chinese city of Hangzhou in July, attracting 72 poets from BRICS countries.
In mid-September, over 60 media leaders from more than 40 countries joined the BRICS Media Summit in Moscow, discussing the role of BRICS media in promoting a multipolar world.
People-to-people exchanges have deepened among BRICS countries, and BRICS member states have worked towards a closer friendship, providing a “BRICS model” for promoting exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, said Ahmed Hamadi, a political commentator of the Aletihad News Center of the UAE.
{{BRIGHT FUTURE}}
Thanks to the concerted efforts of all parties, the BRICS has increasingly become an important force in shaping the international landscape and safeguarding global stability.
The BRICS cooperation mechanism is now a key venue for emerging markets and developing countries to strengthen solidarity and cooperation and safeguard common interests, thereby serving as the most pivotal mechanism representing the Global South.
China is a significant promoter of BRICS cooperation and a natural member of the Global South. Beijing has all along stood with other developing countries through thick and thin.
While pursuing its own development, China has continuously provided new opportunities for the rest of the world by sharing its development dividends.
“China’s role in promoting the continuous development of BRICS is significant,” said Zukiswa Roboji, a researcher at Walter Sisulu University in South Africa.
The BRICS mechanism effectively promotes solidarity and cooperation among countries of the Global South, and enhances the representation of developing countries in global governance, and China has made positive contributions to raising the global influence of BRICS cooperation, Roboji said.
The genuine multilateralism advocated by China and its efforts in promoting the modernization of the Global South have brought confidence and important strength to the world, said Bunn Nagara, director and senior fellow at Belt and Road Initiative Caucus for Asia-Pacific.
“Today, China is exactly what the countries of the Global South want to be,” said Dilma Rousseff, former Brazilian president and president of the NDB, adding that China’s advocacy of more just and effective global governance is helping the world build a bright shared future.
Themed “Artificial Intelligence and Media Transformation,” the summit gathered over 500 participants from 106 countries and regions, including representatives of 208 mainstream media outlets, government agencies, and international organizations.
During the participants’ stay in Xinjiang, what moments captured with their phones impressed them? Follow Xinhua correspondent Wang Yijie to find out the answer.
[Click this link to watch the video->https://english.news.cn/20241017/5058f4d630ea4b59b22fd40dc40619d8/c.html]
