China is going to host the 14th BRICS Summit on Thursday (June 23) in what analysts see as a chance for Beijing to promote its governance and development model at a time of global instability and deepening conflicts.
Chinese President Xi Jinping will join the heads of states of Brazil, India, Russia and South Africa via video link to discuss issues of mutual concern as part of the summit themed around ushering in a “new era” for global development.
Ahead of the summit in Beijing, Chinese state media have praised the BRICS – an acronym for the five emerging economies that together account for about one-quarter of the global economy – for boosting “multilateral cooperation with non-Western styles, forms and principles,” and stressed the importance of the bloc at a time when “the US (is) pulling its Western allies to ‘rebel’ against globalisation”.
In May, Xi called on the group to “reject Cold War mentality and bloc confrontation, and work together to build a global community of security for all”.
Despite their substantial differences, the leaders of the five countries maintain a certain distance from the United States-led liberal order.
None of the leaders of Brazil, China, India, or South Africa openly condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin for his country’s invasion of Ukraine earlier in the year.
