by Wu Yue
COLOMBO, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- "BRICS works to promote true multilateralism and support changes in global governance, and China plays an important role by actively engaging in discussions and initiatives that aim for a fairer international system," Alok Kumar Pathak, associate fellow at the BRICS Institute India in Delhi, told Xinhua in a recent Interview.
In an exclusive interview with Xinhua at a time when the 16th BRICS Summit was held from Oct. 22 to Oct. 24 in Russia's Kazan, Pathak said that China has put forward Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative and Global Civilization Initiative, and is committed to working with all parties to build a community with a shared future for mankind, which matches the concept of BRICS cooperation that attaches equal status for all the sovereign nation-states.
BRICS is an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, five major emerging markets with considerable economic potential that founded the BRICS group.
B.R. Deepak, professor of the Center for Chinese and South East Asian Studies of Jawaharlal Nehru University, also talked with Xinhua. He said that since its establishment, the BRICS cooperation mechanism has expanded to various practical cooperation areas and achieved remarkable results.
"The BRICS countries have played an important and unique role in leading the global South and promoting multilateralism. Among this, China has provided numerous economic contributions, ideological contributions and global public goods," he said.
China's initiatives fully embody the BRICS spirit and implement China's commitment to bridge differences between countries and build a more equitable, just, and acceptable cooperation platform, Deepak said, adding that through its own development and cooperation under the BRICS framework, China has provided tremendous development support for many countries in the global South, elevation of poverty across the continents, especially in Africa and South Asia.
"The global economy is now limping. The way it progressed during deep globalization is over, and geopolitical conflicts in various regions have added fuel to the fire," Deepak said. "In such circumstances, all countries should welcome more initiatives that maintain world peace and security, and promote common economic development."
The Kazan summit is also the first offline gathering of leaders of the "BRICS family" after the historic expansion in January this year. Pathak said that China has made remarkable contributions in promoting the expansion of the BRICS countries.
More and more countries wish to join the ranks of BRICS, which fully demonstrates that the BRICS concept of independence and equal cooperation is getting more support among countries, said Pathak. "The Western paradigm on the basis of their so-called economic and legal theories is designed to preserve the dominance of the West and keep the rest lagging behind," he added.
He stressed that after the expansion, the BRICS countries will be more representative and have greater development potential, and can more effectively promote the transformation of the global governance system towards a more just and reasonable direction.
Speaking about the potential outcome of this summit, Pathak said that all countries should conduct more economic cooperation. "The BRICS countries should conduct organizational activities to ensure the significance of the BRICS plus' countries in the world economy increases with their joint efforts as a group," he said.
As for people-to-people exchanges, Pathak said that he applauds China's attitude that diversity is essential to human civilization. "Encouraging exchanges and learning among cultures is important for mutual progress. I hope that during the BRICS Summit, China will continue to support peaceful coexistence and suggest ways to improve understanding and collaboration among different civilizations," Pathak said. ■
