* The BRICS mechanism, featuring five major emerging economies, namely Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, has travelled a glorious path over the past 16 years since its inception in 2006, and has become a positive, stable and constructive force in international affairs.
* "We should embrace solidarity and coordination and jointly maintain world peace and stability," said Xi, adding that peace, which is the common cause of humanity, should be pursued and defended by all.
* He said economic globalization is a response to development of productivity and, as such, represents an unstoppable historical trend.
BEIJING, June 22 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday attended the opening ceremony of the BRICS Business Forum and delivered a keynote speech in Beijing via video link, urging its members to embrace solidarity and expand win-win cooperation and openness in the pursuit of peace, stability and sustainable global development.
"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, calling on BRICS countries to rise to challenge and forge ahead with resolve toward the goal of building a community with a shared future for mankind.
The BRICS mechanism, featuring five major emerging economies, namely Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, has travelled a glorious path over the past 16 years since its inception in 2006, and has become a positive, stable and constructive force in international affairs.
SOLIDARITY FOR PEACE, STABILITY
"We should embrace solidarity and coordination and jointly maintain world peace and stability," said Xi, adding that peace, which is the common cause of humanity, should be pursued and defended by all. He called on all countries to stay true to the pledge of the UN Charter and fulfill the mission of maintaining peace.
He said the tragedies of the past tell us that hegemony, group politics and bloc confrontation bring no peace or security, but will only lead to wars and conflicts. "The Ukraine crisis is another wake-up call for all in the world. It reminds us that blind faith in the so-called 'position of strength' and attempts to expand military alliances and seek one's own security at the expense of others will only land oneself in a security dilemma."
Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a keynote speech in virtual format at the opening ceremony of the BRICS Business Forum, June 22, 2022. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)
In the speech, Xi reaffirmed the Global Security Initiative, calling on all countries to stay committed to the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, stay committed to respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, stay committed to abiding by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, stay committed to taking the legitimate security concerns of all countries seriously, stay committed to peacefully resolving differences and disputes between countries through dialogue and consultation, and stay committed to maintaining security in both traditional and non-traditional domains.
"We in the international community should reject zero-sum games and jointly oppose hegemonism and power politics. We should build a new type of international relations based on mutual respect, fairness, justice and win-win cooperation. We should be clear that we are a community in which all countries share a common stake, and we should see that the light of peace will reach all corners of the world," the Chinese president said.
COOPERATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Development holds the key to solving various difficult problems and delivering better lives to the people. In the speech, Xi pointed out that, at this time, the global development process has hit major roadblocks, and the global efforts to implement the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development have suffered major setbacks.
"Last year, I put forward the Global Development Initiative, and I called on all countries to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, forge united, equal, balanced and inclusive global development partnership, and promote cooperation in a wide range of areas such as poverty reduction, public health, education, digital connectivity and industrialization," Xi said.
