From 22 to 24 June 2022, Chinese President Xi Jinping respectively attended the opening ceremony of the BRICS Business Forum with a keynote speech and chaired the 14th BRICS Summit and the High-level Dialogue on Global Development with important remarks via video link in Beijing.

This year is the “BRICS China Year”, marking the 16th anniversary of the establishment of the BRICS cooperation mechanism. China will host over 170 BRICS events in various fields throughout the year. In the first half of this year alone, more than 20 ministerial meetings were held. Each of the “BRICS Plus” events attracted the participation of more than 50 non-BRICS countries. This year’s BRICS activities will deliver 37 major outcomes, reaching a new height in both quantity and quality.

At present, the world has entered a new phase of turbulence and transformation, with the intertwined impacts of the profound changes and the COVID-19 pandemic both unseen in a century. The world is witnessing security problems emerging one after another. The global economic recovery is still arduous and tortuous. The cause of global development faces headwinds and countercurrents. Promoting sustainable development, maintaining world peace and stability, and achieving the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals are the ardent expectations of the people of all countries. Standing at the height of the well-being of mankind and focusing on the sustainable development of humanity, President Xi Jinping led the BRICS summits to produce a series of pioneering, leading and institutional outcomes, continuously promoting the broader and deeper extension of BRICS cooperation, injecting positive, stable and constructive BRICS strengths into the world, and making new contributions to world peace and development.

——Answer the questions of the times and jointly build a community with a shared future for mankind

Where is the world headed: Peace or war? Progress or regression? Openness or isolation? Cooperation or confrontation? These are choices of the times that we are confronted with. No matter how the international situation changes, the historical trend of opening up and development will not reverse course. We should have a keen appreciation of the law governing the advance of history, face challenges bravely, and unswervingly promote the buildingof a community with a shared future for mankind.

East Asia we are in has maintained stable development for a long time, established a regional security and cooperation framework centered on ASEAN, and become an oasis of world peace and a highland of development. This situation has not come easily. China will earnestly implement the China-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future and jointly build a peaceful, tranquil, prosperous, beautiful and friendly homeland by continuing to unswervingly support ASEAN solidarity, ASEAN Community building, and ASEAN centrality in the regional architecture, working with ASEAN countries to implement the important consensus reached at the China-ASEAN Special Summit to Commemorate the 30th Anniversary of China-ASEAN Dialogue Relations last year, and grasping the general trend, eliminating interference, sharing opportunities, and jointly overcoming challenges.

 ——Safeguard international fairness and justice and jointly maintain world peace and tranquility

“History, if not forgotten, can serve as a guide for the future”. The tragical and bitter history of the two world wars and the confrontation of Cold War shows that hegemony, group politics and bloc confrontation bring no peace or security, but will only lead to wars and conflicts. The Ukraine crisis is another wake-up call for all in the world. It reminds us that blind faith in the so-called “position of strength” and attempts to expand military alliances and seek one’s own security at the expense of others will only land oneself in a security dilemma. At present, some countries have entered the 21st century physically but their minds are still lagged behind in the Cold War era. These countries do nothing in the face of their domestic governance deficits, increased disparity between rich and poor and political polarization, but wantonly pursue containment strategies internationally, provok confrontation between major countries, and bully small and medium-sized countries, leaving the world so unpeaceful.

President Xi Jinping put forward the Global Security Initiative (GSI) in his keynote speech at this year’s Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference. China is willing to work with BRICS partners to operationaize the GSI and create a new path to security that features dialogue over confrontation, partnership over alliance and win-win over zero-sum. China advocates the the shared human values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy, and freedom, actively performs its international responsibilities and obligations, holds high the banner of genuine multilateralism, firmly upholds the international system with the United Nations as the core and the international order based on international law, and will continue to be a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, and a defender of the international order.

——Focus on development and cooperation and chart a new era of global development

Development is a timeless theme for humanity and the key to solving all problems and realizing people’s happiness. President Xi Jinping put forward the Global Development Initiative (GDI) at the UN General Assembly last year, calling for forging a united, equal, balanced and inclusive global development partnership for the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and promoting the building of a global community of development, which has received the support of more than 100 countries and international organizations, including the United Nations. Recently, China launched the Global Development Report, which lays out policy recommendations on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development from eight aspects. China will ground our efforts in the new development stage, follow the new development philosophy, foster a new development paradigm and strive to achieve high-quality development.

Thailand actively supports the Global Development Initiative. Prime Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha attended upon invitation the High-level Dialogue on Global Development, and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai attended upon invitation the High-Level Virtual Meeting of the Group of Friends of the Global Development Initiative. The Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) economic model advocated by Thailand is in line with the concept of “lucid waters and lush mountains are mountains of gold and silver” put forward by President Xi Jinping. China is willing to work with other countries in the world, including Thailand and the BRICS countries, to accelerate the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, steadily adding more substance to the GDI, jointly build a global community of development, and contribute to stronger, greener and healthier global development.

——Keep abreast of the trend of the times and jointly improve global governance

President Xi Jinping insightfully pointed out that inclusiveness, shared benefits and win-win outcomes is what we should pursue. Facts have proved time and again that sanctions are a boomerang and a double-edged sword. To politicize the global economy and turn it into one’s tool or weapon, and willfully impose sanctions by using one’s primary position in the international financial and monetary systems will only end up hurting one’s own interests as well as those of others, and inflict suffering on everyone. We should stay committed to openness and inclusiveness and steer globalization in the right direction; uphold the WTO-centered multilateral trading system and keep the global economy open; and promote extensive consultation and joint contribution, increase the representation and say of emerging markets and developing countries, and ensure that all countries enjoy equal rights, follow the rules as equals, and share equal opportunities.

Promoting and steering the reform of the global governance system is an essential meaning of BRICS cooperation. Committed to peaceful development and win-win cooperation, China has become the largest trading partner of more than 130 countries and regions, signed more than 200 cooperation documents on jointly building the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) with 149 countries and 32 international organizations. The Chinese people have embarked on a new journey of building a modern socialist country in an all-round way. We will accelerate fostering a new development paradigm with domestic circulation as the mainstay and domestic and international circulations reinforcing each other, continue to promote high-quality economic development, share development opportunities with Thailand and other countries around the world, and play a greater role in jointly improving global governance.

——Promote the expansion of the BRICS coopeartion mechanism and embark on a new journey of BRICS cooperation

“One single flower doesn’t make a spring and one goose alone can’t make a formation.” The significance of BRICS cooperation has gone beyond the scope of the five countries and now bear the expectations of emerging markets, developing countries and even the entire international community. BRICS countries gather not in a closed club or an exclusive circle, but a big family of mutual support and a partnership for win-win cooperation. Over the past 16 years, the BRICS cooperation mechanism has made a multi-level cooperation framework steered by the BRICS Summit, supported by ministerial meetings such as the Meeting of the BRICS High Representatives for Security Issues and Meeting of the BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs/International Relations, and driven by the three pillars of political and security, economic and financial, and cultural & people-to-people exchanges. The mechanism has increasingly become an important platform for emerging markets and developing countries to strengthen themselves through joint efforts and mutually beneficial cooperation, and has represented an important force for promoting the improvement of global governance and achievement of common development.

China’s proposal of launching the BRICS membership expansion process, having further discussions on the criteria and procedures for the expansion, and gradually forming a consensus will help demonstrate the openness and inclusiveness of BRICS countries, respond to the expectations of emerging markets and developing countries, enhance the representativeness and influence of BRICS countries, and make greater contributions to world peace and development.  Over the past five years since its inception, “BRICS Plus” cooperation has become a prime example of South-South cooperation and seeking strength through unity among emerging markets and developing countries. This year, the “BRICS Plus” dialogue activity has been raised to the level of Foreign Ministers for the first time. The XIV BRICS Summit Beijing Declaration  emphasizes the BRICS efforts of extending BRICS cooperation to other EMDCs and supports further promoting the “BRICS Outreach” and “BRICS Plus” Cooperation. The High-level Dialogue on Global Development at this Summit is a testimony to the open and inclusive nature of BRICS Partnership including “BRICS Outreach” and “BRICS Plus” cooperation, which will inject new impetus to strengthen international cooperation and solidarity on implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Thailand, an important emerging market and developing country as well as an active participant in and promoter of the cause of international development, plays an important role in international and regional affairs. China and Thailand are good neighbors, good friends, good partners and good relatives. The two sides enjoy profound political mutual trust, broad common interests and great potential for cooperation. The Chinese side is willing to work with the Thai side and other emerging markets and developing countries to, through synergy and joint endeavors, foster a development paradigm featuring benefits for all, balance, coordination, inclusiveness, win-win cooperation and common prosperity, build a community with a shared future for mankind and create a brighter and better future for humanity.