China, according to Xi, opposes “bloc confrontation” and seeks a more just and equitable international system.
Asserting that “hegemonism is not in China’s DNA,” Chinese President Xi Jinping has asked for the BRICS grouping of developing economies to be expanded in order to create a more just and equitable international order.
Xi stated that China had no desire to engage in great power competition or bring about “bloc confrontation” in a speech given on his behalf at the opening of the BRICS summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Tuesday.
Xi declared at a business event that “China stands firmly on the right side of history and believes a just cause should be pursued for the common good,” according to remarks made by Wang Wentao, the minister of commerce.
According to Xi, BRICS will advance “whatever resistance there may be.”
The globe, our time, and history are changing in ways that have never been seen before, bringing human society to a crucial turning point, he said.
Why Xi chose not to attend the meeting, which was also attended by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, is unclear.
Earlier, Xi met with summit host Ramaphosa and informed him that their nations were at a “new historical starting point.”
In order to create a counterbalance to Western hegemony over international institutions and affairs, China and Russia, both of which have been subject to severe US sanctions, have been eager to expand BRICS.
Among the nations that have expressed interest in joining the bloc, which is currently made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, are Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Iran, Argentina, and Egypt. The bloc accounts for about 40% of the world’s population and more than 25% of the global economy.
The bloc, however, is split on growth, with Brazil and India being regarded as being less committed to expanding the bloc.
Brazil’s Lula stated that BRICS does not intend to be a “counterpoint to the G7, G20, or the United States” in what may be a sign of divergent perspectives for the group.
Lula stated during a social media broadcast, “We just want to organize ourselves.
The summit will not only address methods to increase membership, but also measures to increase the usage of local currencies in trade and financial operations to reduce reliance on the US dollar.
The de-dollarization of the bloc’s economic times, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who will not be present at the summit in person, is “irreversible” and gathering momentum.
Wide-ranging Western sanctions implemented in reaction to Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine have severely damaged Russia’s economy.
Putin, who is wanted under an international arrest warrant for alleged war crimes, is being represented at the BRICS summit by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA
