The Chinese Government has rallied global leaders to up efforts at protecting the principles of the United Nations (UN) to advance the cause of humanity.
Mr Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Minister of Foreign Affairs, said it was imperative to jointly build peace and seek development while promoting the great progress of human civilisation.
Addressing a meeting of the BRICS Foreign Ministers, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the Chinese top diplomat drew attention to the fact that the international pattern had undergone profound changes since the founding of the UN some 80 years ago.
The world had entered a period of turbulence and transformation, he noted, adding that the cause of peace and development was facing new and severe challenges.
“The basic concept of international cooperation has been eroded, the development foundation of international relations has been continuously challenged, and the international environment for peaceful development is facing impacts,” Mr Wang said.
“At this critical moment in history, whether countries can make the right choices is crucial to the future of humanity,” he said.
A statement issued by the Chinese Foreign Ministry on the BRICS meeting, a copy made available to journalists in Beijing, China, said the world ought to give serious consideration to the Global Security Initiative put forward by President Xi Jinping.
BRICKS is an intergovernmental organisation composed of 10 countries; Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates.
The initiative espouses the need to jointly discuss security governance on the premise of mutual respect, build lasting peace based on fairness and justice, and embark on a new path of security featuring dialogue rather than confrontation, partnership rather than alliance, and win-win cooperation rather than zero-sum game.
“We should uphold an objective and just stance, adhere to resolving differences through dialogue and negotiation, support the United Nations agencies to perform their duties, and create conditions for the political settlement,” Mr Wang emphasised.
He said the People’s Republic of China supported all efforts to peacefully resolve the Ukraine crisis, and “hopes that the parties concerned will solve the root causes of the crisis and reach a fair, lasting, binding and acceptable peace agreement by all parties as soon as possible”.
Additionally, the Asian giant was willing to work with other BRICS members to achieve long-term stability and peace in the Middle East.
“The top priority of the Middle East issue is to promote a comprehensive ceasefire in Gaza to relieve the humanitarian disaster.
“The long-term solution is to promote the ‘two-state solution’ to achieve peaceful coexistence between the State of Palestine and the State of Israel,” the Foreign Minister said.
He said as a constructive force for good on the international stage, BRICS countries should take the lead in being the mainstay of the cause of peace and development.
He implored the leaders to continue to hold high the banner of open cooperation, firmly safeguard the multilateral trading system, and promote the mutually beneficial and integrated development of all countries.
They should also support inclusive economic globalisation, Mr Wang said, adding that China was willing to strengthen practical cooperation with BRICS countries in poverty reduction, agriculture, education, health and other fields, and provide more public goods for the Global South.
He urged the leaders to strive to support the BRICS Counter-Terrorism Working Group, strengthen information sharing and experience exchange, and promote law enforcement cooperation and capacity-building.
“We should build the BRICS Vaccine Research and Development Centre well, earnestly implement the BRICS Food Security Cooperation Strategy, expand cooperation in new fields such as the deep sea, polar regions and outer space, and jointly meet global challenges.
BRICS is an acronym representing Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Originally, it referred to the first five countries, but it has since expanded to include Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, and Iran.
