Remarks by Wang Yi at the Video Conference of the BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs/International Relations

Enhancing BRICS Solidarity and Building a Better Post-COVID World

Remarks by State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Video Conference of the BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs/International Relations

1 June 2021

Colleagues,

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the inception of the BRICS concept and the 15th anniversary of the BRICS Foreign Ministers Meeting mechanism. We have witnessed the continued improvement of our cooperation mechanism, expansion of collaboration areas, and enhanced global influence. An architecture featuring the three main drivers of economic and financial cooperation, political and security cooperation and cultural and people-to-people exchanges has been established, setting a fine example of cooperation among emerging markets and developing countries. Despite COVID-19, BRICS countries have demonstrated resilience and vitality, maintained the momentum of cooperation, and lent important impetus to the efforts by the five countries and beyond to combat the coronavirus and rebuild the economy.

We meet at a time of great changes and a pandemic both unseen in a century. We BRICS countries should create opportunities in the crisis and secure new prospects amidst changes. We should work together to further “burnish BRICS’ credentials” as a responsible player in promoting global solidarity, offer BRICS’ proposals for addressing governance deficit, and contribute BRICS’ share to tackling common challenges. To this end, China wishes to propose the following:

First, we need to promote global solidarity against the pandemic and protect people’s health. The recent resurgence of the virus and its frequent mutation are a sobering reminder that the fight against COVID-19 is a marathon. No country should slacken in its efforts, and cooperation must be strengthened. The COVID response should be more science-based to maximize the roles of vaccines and drugs and to make good use of preventive measures with a particular emphasis on international and regional coordination and information sharing. Efforts should continue to balance routine COVID protocols and emergency measures, and ensure both epidemic control and socio-economic development.

The pandemic is escalating in the South while subsiding in the North. This is pretty much due to vaccine hoarding and export restrictions taken by a few developed countries. In contrast, we BRICS countries, while vaccinating our own peoples, have been doing our best to offer vaccines to other countries. China has provided over 350 million doses of vaccines to the international community. This sets us apart from those in the West who put their own interests ahead of everything else. It is hoped that BRICS countries will keep the vaccines a global public good, uphold the principles of fair and reasonable distribution, and support the World Health Organization (WHO) in advancing the COVAX Facility at a faster pace, and support the World Trade Organization (WTO) in making an early decision on waiving the intellectual property rights for COVID vaccines.

We should expedite the establishment of the BRICS Vaccine Research and Development Center, and hold a BRICS Symposium on Vaccine Cooperation in due course. We should support our vaccine companies in their efforts to transfer technologies to other developing countries and cooperate on vaccine production so as to help close the global vaccine divide and build a stronger shield to protect the health of humanity. China has proposed setting up an international forum on vaccine cooperation. BRICS members and companies are most welcome to join.

Second, we need to practice true multilateralism and maintain the international order. Multilateralism is an important cornerstone of the existing international system. But this cornerstone is being eroded at the moment. Practices under the disguise of multilateralism – such as putting one’s own interests above everything else, forming exclusive clubs, and acting on a selective basis – are nothing but unilateral actions, and hegemonic in essence. What the world needs is true multilateralism. We must ensure that the philosophies of multilateralism are upheld, its principles are maintained, and its benefits are delivered.

As prominent emerging markets and developing countries, we BRICS members should lead by example in practicing true multilateralism. We should call on all parties to observe the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and reject exceptionalism and double standards. We call on them to follow the principles of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, and reject hegemony, bullying and zero-sum games. We call on them to pursue openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation, and reject group politics and ideological confrontation. We call on them to take real actions to solve real problems, and reject empty words that prolong them. We BRICS countries should work in concert to bolster the UN-centered international system and safeguard the international order on the basis of international law.

Third, we need to help world economic recovery and contribute to global development. Affected by the pandemic, the world economic recovery is imbalanced, the North-South development gap is widening, and we BRICS countries have also found ourselves in a far more complicated development environment. Against this backdrop, our option should be the common good of humanity, rather than just our own well-being. We the five countries need to step up macroeconomic policy coordination, steadily implement the Strategy for BRICS Economic Partnership 2025, enhance trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, and promote an earlier realization of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Digital economy and green economy are the future. China supports formulating the BRICS Innovation Cooperation Action Plan to nurture new growth drivers through scientific and technological innovation and digital transformation. China has launched the BRICS Partnership on New Industrial Revolution (PartNIR) innovation center in Xiamen, Fujian Province. And we look forward to your active participation.

We should also strengthen cooperation on green industries, green technologies and green finance to achieve modernization featuring harmony between man and nature, and foster a community of life for man and nature.

We should strongly promote the “BRICS Plus” cooperation format and enhance solidarity and coordination among developing countries. We should continue to provide political impetus for the expansion of the New Development Bank’s membership, and work for the early admission of the first group of new members within the year to increase the Bank’s influence and coverage and benefit more countries.