Xi eyes BRICS' next 'golden decade'

President Xi Jinping said on Saturday that China is ready to work with all parties to build consensus and usher in a third "golden decade" of BRICS cooperation, calling on the grouping to lead efforts to advance innovation, safeguard peace and stability, promote mutual learning among civilizations and improve global governance.

Addressing Session I of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, the capital of India, Xi said China will assume the rotating presidency of BRICS next year and host the 19th summit. China previously hosted BRICS summits in 2011, 2017 and 2022.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of BRICS cooperation, which emerged amid the collective rise of emerging markets and developing countries.

Xi said solidarity and cooperation have remained the source of strength for BRICS throughout its two-decade journey. He urged members to treat one another with sincerity, seek common ground while respecting differences, and respect each other's core concerns.

Members should deepen mutual understanding and properly manage differences through communication and dialogue to ensure the steady and long-term development of BRICS cooperation, he said.

From its original four members, BRICS has grown into a family of 11 full members and 10 partner countries. Its members account for nearly half the world's population and over one-fourth of global trade.

Xi said the grouping's historic expansion and comprehensive, multilevel cooperation framework have ushered in a new stage of high-quality development of greater BRICS cooperation.

With unilateralism and power politics undermining multilateralism and the international order, BRICS countries should stand firmly on the right side of history, steer the international order toward greater fairness and equity, and work together to build a community with a shared future for humanity, he said.

On innovation-driven development, Xi welcomed BRICS countries' participation in the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization, which was launched by China in July and is based in Shanghai, and proposed a BRICS initiative on using AI to advance new industrialization.

On peace and stability, Xi noted that the situation in the Middle East remains complex and fluid, and said China will work with fellow BRICS members to play a due role in bringing peace and tranquility to the Middle East and the Gulf region.

Xi also called for greater mutual learning among civilizations through the BRICS people-to-people exchanges forum, the sharing of governance experience, and deeper cooperation in the areas of culture, tourism and education, including more exchanges among young people.

On global governance, he urged support for the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core and called for opposition to all forms of protectionism. BRICS should help shape governance in emerging areas such as cyberspace, outer space and the deep sea, while strengthening the voice of the Global South, he said.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said BRICS has established a distinct identity on the global stage over the past 20 years by respecting different perspectives and moving forward through consensus.

AI, cyberspace, outer space, biotechnology and critical technologies are shaping not only future opportunities, but also the rules that will govern the future, Modi said.

"We must work to transform the Global South from rule-takers into rule-shapers," he said.

The meeting participants highly commended the development achievements made by BRICS over the past two decades, saying that BRICS countries have a responsibility to speak out for the Global South, defend multilateralism and jointly address global challenges in the face of intensifying geopolitical conflicts and rising unilateralism.

They said they appreciate China's important contribution to the development and expansion of the BRICS mechanism, and also support China in successfully hosting the 19th BRICS Summit during its presidency next year and working together to push BRICS cooperation to a new level.

The summit adopted the New Delhi Declaration of the 18th BRICS Summit.

China has been an important participant, builder and promoter of BRICS. Xi has, at different key stages, proposed a series of initiatives for the grouping's development.

In 2014, he advocated the BRICS spirit of openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation. In 2017, he proposed the "BRICS Plus" cooperation approach, extending BRICS cooperation beyond its members to the broader Global South. In 2024, he called for a BRICS committed to peace, innovation, green development, justice and closer people-to-people exchanges.

Lan Jianxue, director of the Department for Asia-Pacific Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, said these proposals have helped guide and broaden BRICS cooperation, extending it beyond economic ties into a more comprehensive framework.

China could draw on its comprehensive industrial system, as well as BRICS' innovation and AI cooperation platforms, to share technologies, conduct joint research and provide training, Lan said. Such efforts could help partner countries develop digital industries and participate more fully in industrial and supply chains.

Ayanda Holo, president of TV BRICS Africa, said he looks forward to covering next year's summit in China.

Citing China's moves to offer zero-tariff access to African countries with which it has diplomatic relations, Holo said he hopes other BRICS members and partners could also gain greater access to the Chinese market and share in the opportunities created by China's development.

During the meeting, leaders from BRICS countries also visited a photo exhibition, planted trees and posed for a group photo.