First Observation | Three Key Words to Look Forward to President Xi Jinping's Visit to Kazan

At the invitation of President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation, President Xi Jinping will travel to Kazan, Russia, from [specific dates] to attend the 16th Summit of BRICS Leaders. This summit marks the first in-person gathering of President Xi with BRICS leaders since the historic expansion of the "BRICS family." Three key words stand out in anticipation of President Xi's visit to Kazan—

Keyword 1: "Big BRICS Cooperation"

"I am pleased to see that the enthusiasm of developing countries to participate in BRICS cooperation is high, and many developing countries are applying to join the BRICS cooperation mechanism. We must uphold the BRICS spirit of openness, inclusiveness, cooperation, and mutual benefit, allowing more countries to join the BRICS family" — President Xi Jinping pointed out at the 15th BRICS Summit held in Johannesburg, South Africa, last month.

At the Johannesburg meeting, President Xi Jinping, together with leaders of various countries, promoted the historic expansion of BRICS, marking the beginning of the "Big BRICS Cooperation." After the expansion, the BRICS countries' GDP accounts for about % of the global total, their population represents nearly half of the world's population, and their trade constitutes one-fifth of global trade. The BRICS bloc has become more valuable, significant, and possesses greater potential. Following the historic expansion of BRICS, more countries are knocking on the "BRICS door," fully demonstrating the widespread popularity of the BRICS cooperation mechanism. The cohesion and solidarity of BRICS are continuously increasing, and its influence and appeal are growing stronger.

Since then, President Xi Jinping has presided over or attended each BRICS summit and delivered important speeches, guiding BRICS cooperation to advance amid the profound changes of the century. This year marks the beginning of the "Greater BRICS Cooperation." There is great anticipation that President Xi will work together with other leaders to steer "Greater BRICS Cooperation" through the winds and waves, ensuring steady and long-term progress.

Keyword Two: "Global South"

A few years ago, in the era of the collective rise of emerging market and developing countries, the BRICS cooperation mechanism came into being. Today, people increasingly refer to emerging market and developing countries as the "Global South." As a collective of emerging market and developing countries, the "Global South" and BRICS countries share a natural emotional bond and extensive common interests. The BRICS cooperation also carries the expectation of the "Global South" to jointly strive for prosperity and strength.

As a member of the developing countries and the "Global South," we have always shared the same breath and destiny with other developing countries, firmly safeguarding the common interests of developing countries, and promoting the representation and voice of emerging market countries and developing countries in global affairs. At the closing ceremony of the BRICS Business Forum, President Xi Jinping's speech clearly demonstrated China's determination to promote the self-strengthening and unity of the "Global South."

The BRICS mechanism is the most important channel for strategic communication among the "Global South." During the Xiamen Summit, President Xi Jinping proposed the "BRICS Plus" cooperation concept, aimed at jointly pursuing development and revitalization with other emerging market countries and developing nations. Today, "BRICS Plus" has become an important dialogue platform for BRICS countries to engage with a wide range of emerging market countries and developing nations. Open the door for development, and embrace cooperation with open arms. At the Kazan Summit, President Xi Jinping will attend both the small and large-scale leader meetings, as well as the "BRICS Plus" leader dialogue and other events. China is willing to work together with all parties to usher in a new era of united self-strengthening for the "Global South," jointly safeguarding the common interests of developing countries, and promoting world peace and development.

Keyword Three: Multilateralism

The world has entered a new period of turbulence and transformation, undergoing major adjustments, divisions, and restructurings, with increasing uncertainties, instabilities, and unpredictabilities. With such a vast world and so many issues, upholding and practicing multilateralism is the way to solve problems. Since its establishment, the BRICS countries have consistently adhered to the spirit of openness, inclusiveness, cooperation, and mutual benefit, steadfastly maintaining their commitment to unity and self-reliance, and dedicated to safeguarding multilateralism, becoming a positive, stable, and benevolent force in international affairs.

In March, before attending the fifth BRICS Leaders' Meeting, President Xi Jinping pointed out that cooperation among BRICS countries is conducive to "more democratic international relations." In November, during the eleventh BRICS Leaders' Meeting, President Xi emphasized: "We must promote multilateralism, the core of which is that international affairs should be decided through consultation among all countries, not by one country or a few countries."

In the month of the year, the BRICS Leaders' Special Video Summit on the Israel-Palestine issue was held, where they coordinated their positions and took action on the issue, setting a good precedent for the expanded "Big BRICS Cooperation." In the same month this year, China and Brazil jointly issued a consensus on the political resolution of the Ukraine crisis, which has received positive responses from over countries to date.

Gathering Wisdom and Mobilizing Collective Efforts. During the Kazan Summit, President Xi Jinping will engage in in-depth discussions with leaders from various countries on the current international situation, practical cooperation within BRICS, the development of the BRICS mechanism, and other important issues of mutual concern. China will uphold true multilateralism, working together with all parties to advance the implementation of the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative. It will amplify the collective voice of BRICS countries and the "Global South" in global governance, and join hands in building a community with a shared future for mankind.