"Where is the world headed: peace or war? Progress or regression? Opening or insulation? Cooperation or comparison? These are the choices of the times we face," Chinese President Xi Jinping said Wednesday in his opening speech ceremony at the BRICS Business Forum. [BRICS cooperation injects vitality into global development, wins worldwide applause – People.cn]
History abounds with formidable challenges from which the world has emerged as an even safer and better place, and those triumphs over adversity have testified that cooperation and common development are crucial in turning the tide.
The world is now living through drastic changes and a COVID-19 pandemic, both unseen in a century. Various security challenges continue to surface, while the global economy is still battling against significant headwinds on its path to recovery. Meanwhile, global development has experienced major setbacks.
"Where is the world headed: Peace or war? Progress or regression? Openness or isolation? Cooperation or confrontation? These are choices of the times that we are confronted with," Chinese President Xi Jinping said Wednesday in his keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the BRICS Business Forum. He then went on at that forum and later at two other related high-level events in the following days to share his thoughts on how to tackle global challenges and advance common development.
According to China's Xinhua news agency, experts worldwide said they are inspired by Xi's insights into the choices of the times, and expect BRICS cooperation to add impetus to global prosperity.
PROMOTING GLOBAL UNITY, COOPERATION
Experts told Xinhua that they are impressed by Xi's emphasis on and China's commitment to promoting global unity and cooperation, and the BRICS partnership has set an example of South-South cooperation and of seeking strength through unity among emerging markets and developing countries.
In his keynote speech on Wednesday, Xi said despite changes in an evolving global environment, the historical trend of openness and development will not reverse course, and the shared desire to meet challenges together through cooperation will remain as strong as ever.
When hosting the 14th BRICS Summit via video link on Thursday, Xi stressed that the Global Security Initiative (GSI), which advocates a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, follows the philosophy that humanity is an indivisible security community, and aims to create a new path to security that features dialogue over confrontation, partnership over alliance and win-win over zero-sum.
"China would like to work with BRICS partners to operationalize the GSI and bring more stability and positive energy to the world," said Xi.
Xi's call for global cooperation and solidarity, as well as true multilateralism, is a positive step toward world peace and security, said Samer Khair Ahmed, a Jordanian writer and expert on Arab-China relations.
The experiences of recent years have demonstrated that global security is an integrated issue that cannot be achieved by antagonizing or isolating a country or a group of countries, and it has become necessary for the world to build true international solidarity for the sake of security and peace, said Ahmed.
Jose Ricardo dos Santos Luzin Junior, CEO of Sao Paulo-based company LIDE China, said China has been playing a key role in upholding multilateralism and helping shape a new global governance order that stresses mutual cooperation.
CHARTING COURSE FOR GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT
To muster concerted efforts and chart the course for global development ranks high on the agenda of the BRICS cooperation.
When chairing the High-level Dialogue on Global Development on Friday in virtual format, Xi called for forging high-quality partnership for a new era of global development.
"We must get a good grasp of the overarching development trend in the world, firm up confidence, and act in unison and with great motivation to promote global development and foster a development paradigm featuring benefits for all, balance, coordination, inclusiveness, win-win cooperation and common prosperity," he said.
Xi noted that at last year's UN General Assembly session, he put forth the Global Development Initiative (GDI).
"China will take pragmatic steps to give continued support to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development," Xi said.
The GDI proposed by Xi sets out to tackle such development issues as food security, environment, climate change and poverty, said Charles Onunaiju, director of the Abuja-based Center for China Studies, hailing China for sharing Chinese expertise in the eradication of poverty and food security with the rest of the world.
Xi's speech has demonstrated China's commitment to sharing development opportunities with the rest of the world in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mohammad Abdur Razzaque, chairman of a Dhaka-based think-tank Research and Policy Integration for Development, told Xinhua.
Describing China's proposals at the forum as "very timely and thoughtful," Razzaque stressed that China has already been playing a critical role in helping other countries integrate with the global economy.
For Sudheendra Kulkarni, former chairman of Mumbai-based think-tank Observer Research Foundation, the GDI means development for all without any discrimination.
"Whether the country is small or big, whether the country is rich or poor, whether the country is militarily strong or weak, all have to be treated equally, and the fruits of development, the fruits of technological revolution must reach all," he added.
POSITIVE FORCE FOR A BETTER WORLD
The BRICS mechanism has been taken by many around the world as an important cooperation platform for emerging markets and developing countries, which is expected to bring positive, stabilizing and constructive strength to the world.
At Wednesday's BRICS Business Forum, Xi noted that BRICS cooperation has now entered a new stage of high-quality development, calling on BRICS members to deepen 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 development of the digital economy and green transformation, and engage in cooperation on COVID-19 response to beat the virus at an early date.
In the view of Helga Zepp-LaRouche, founder and chairman of German think tank Schiller Institute, BRICS countries respect each other, firmly support multilateralism, and are committed to win-win cooperation.
BRICS cooperation in such fields as food supply and public health is of great significance to the world, Zepp-LaRouche said, adding BRICS countries can play an important role in eradicating global hunger and strengthening the construction of modern global health systems.
Lawrence Loh, Director for Centre for Governance and Sustainability of the National University Singapore Business School, said another notable area for BRICS cooperation is in innovation, technology and education.
In this regard, the BRICS can play a major role in spearheading new development for the next phase of post-pandemic global growth, said Loh.
Noting that 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 when hosting the 14th BRICS Summit on Thursday that BRICS countries need to uphold openness and inclusiveness and pool collective wisdom and strength.
Herman Tiu Laurel, founder of a Manila-based think tank Philippine BRICS Strategic Studies, said the "BRICS Plus" cooperation model, which focuses on openness, inclusiveness, and mutual benefit and represents the voice and interest of the developing countries, will provide an essential impetus to global development.
Nourhan el-Sheikh, professor at the Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Cairo University, said that China has a sound understanding of what the world is confronted with.
"The world shares the same interests and challenges. We either live together or we will be ruined together," said El-Sheikh. "This is a very accurate vision and understanding of President Xi and China, stressing the need to co-exist and live together. It is a different vision from that of the West, which seeks to grow at the expense of others."
