BRICS countries move forward hand in hand in times of adversity
People's Daily Online
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On the evening of Nov. 17, 2020, the 12th BRICS summit was held via video link. Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the summit and delivered a keynote speech.

Photo: CCTV

With the theme "BRICS Partnership for Global Stability, Shared Security and Innovative Growth", the leaders of the five countries focused on global anti-epidemic and practical cooperation in various fields, and spoke with a joint voice on major and urgent global issues, so as to contribute to the bloc’s strength in maintaining international peace and security and boosting the world economy.

At present, human society is experiencing its most serious epidemic in a century, and the world economy is going through its worst recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

The significance and value of the BRICS Partnership lies not only in cooperation in major projects under favorable circumstances, but also in moving forward hand in hand in times of adversity. Since the beginning of the year, the BRICS cooperation mechanism has blossomed in the face of the severe challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The BRICS countries have maintained exchanges of information and cooperation in the fight against the epidemic. Since the beginning of this year, the BRICS countries have held successive meetings of special foreign ministers to deal with the COVID-19 outbreak, video conferences between senior health officials, video meetings for foreign ministers, and a series of related meetings aimed at strengthening information sharing and in-depth exchange of experience in fighting the epidemic.

At the same time, cooperation in drug and vaccine research and development among a number of countries is progressing smoothly. Nearly a year of anti-epidemic practice has proved that the spread of the virus can be controlled with collaboration and scientific prevention and control.

The BRICS mechanism is full of new vigor and vitality in promoting economic recovery. As China's renewed economic growth pushes import demand, trade among BRICS members, especially exports to China from other members, is also picking up steadily.

For instance, in the first 10 months of this year, the bilateral trade volume between China and Russia basically remained at the level of the same period last year, and Russian agricultural exports to China increased by 24 percent compared with the same period last year.

This summit will undoubtedly become a new starting point for BRICS countries to move forward hand in hand. In order to bring together the joint efforts of all countries to fight the epidemic, China has set an example: the country has set up a Chinese vaccine research and development center, which is willing to combine online and offline methods to promote the joint research and development and testing of vaccines in the five countries, cooperative construction of factories, authorized production, mutual recognition of standards, and so on.

Furthermore, with a view to expediting the building of the BRICS partnership for a new industrial revolution, China will establish an innovation base in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province, and carry out cooperation in the fields of policy coordination, personnel training and project development.

The factors that give rise to instability and uncertainty in today's world have risen significantly, but the theme of the era - peace and development - has not changed, and the trend of world multipolarization and economic globalization cannot be reversed.

The reason why BRICS cooperation has been able to play an increasingly important role on the world stage is precisely because it conforms to the general trend of the time, and undertakes the mission of promoting world multipolarization and safeguarding world peace and stability.

Today, the world expects BRICS countries to provide more BRICS solutions, demonstrate a greater role for the bloc, and help steer the global ship through the wind and waves and sail into a better tomorrow.