BEIJING, Aug. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Leaders from BRICS nations, representing a quarter of the global economy, met on Wednesday in Johannesburg, South Africa, eying expansion and deepening cooperation. Chinese President Xi Jinping said emerging countries are becoming more and more relevant in the international arena, and this summit will very much contribute to the shaping of a new global economic and political order.

Xi said when addressing the 15th BRICS Summit on Wednesday that development is an inalienable right of all countries, not a privilege of a few countries. BRICS countries should be peers on the road of development and revitalization, oppose acts of "decoupling" and disrupting industrial and supply chains, as well as economic coercion, and focus on practical cooperation in such areas as digital economy, green development, supply chain, among others, Xi said.

He also called for the speedy expansion of BRICS as well as efforts to promote more just and reasonable global governance.

"It is unacceptable to package one's own rules and regulations as international norm," Xi said, noting that international norms should be written and upheld by all countries based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, rather than dictated by those with the strongest muscles and loudest voice.

Xi, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa began talks over dinner at a luxury estate in suburban Johannesburg on Tuesday night, ahead of the summit's main day of discussions on Wednesday, the AP reported. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov represented Russia in person, while Russian President Vladimir Putin participated in the dinner discussions virtually.

The leaders weighed rules for admitting new members to BRICS on Wednesday, as more than 40 countries have expressed interest in joining, and of them, nearly two dozen have formally asked to be admitted, Reuters said. Also, the leaders will discuss reducing the use of dollars for trade at the gathering on Wednesday, some media reported.

When the leaders kicked off this year's BRICS summit with the Business Forum on Tuesday, Wang Wentao, Chinese Commerce Minister, read out a speech from Xi, which underscored the importance of inclusive development, universal security, cultural exchange, and the collective rise of emerging economies and developing countries for a better world.

Xi expressed China's willingness to deepen solidarity and cooperation with other emerging markets and developing countries to make the international order more just and equitable.

"Emerging countries are becoming more and more relevant in the international arena. This summit will very much contribute to the shaping of a new global economic and political order. It will help change the current situation when it comes to international relations," he said.

Chinese and foreign observers believe that the BRICS bloc is of great significance to global governance today. Whether in global traditional security governance or global non-traditional security governance, BRICS countries have put forward their own series of propositions and voices that are conducive to a fair, effective and balanced global order, injecting positive energy to the world.

China's role 

Hegemonism is not in China's DNA, nor does China have any motivation to engage in major-power competition. China stands firmly on the right side of history and believes that a just cause should be pursued for the common good, Xi stressed.

Our world today has become a community with a shared future in which we all share a huge stake in survival, Xi said, noting that what people in various countries long for is "definitely not a new Cold War or a small exclusive bloc; what they want is an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world that enjoys enduring peace, universal security and common prosperity."

China has been the crucial BRICS member in recent years. Not only for the sheer size of its economy and scale of its population but as a result of its concerted effort to raise its profile and role in the global order, Paulo Wrobel, a researcher at the Brazilian think tank BRICS Policy Center, told the Global Times.

"The greater interest all over the world about the BRICS is due mainly because China is a member. Even though India is also making great efforts to raise its international profile, it is China which is leading BRICS," Wrobel said.

The BRICS countries are expected to forge a stronger BRICS strategic partnership, expand the "BRICS Plus" model, actively advance membership expansion and deepen solidarity and cooperation with other emerging markets and developing countries.