Statement by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the BRICS Durban Summit Durban, South Africa, March 27, 2013

Dear Presidents Zuma, Rousseff, Putin, Prime Minister Singh,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is with great pleasure that I return to the Rainbow Nation after two years. I deeply appreciate the warm hospitality of the South African people and their active support for cooperation among BRICS countries. Here, I extend my heartfelt thanks to President Zuma and the South African government for the thoughtful arrangements made for this meeting!

There is an ancient Chinese saying, “People of the same aspirations are not separated by mountains and seas.” We, representing five countries from four continents, have come together to build partnerships and achieve the grand goal of common development. We have come together to promote the democratization of international relations and advance the noble cause of peace and development for humanity. Seeking peace, promoting development, enhancing cooperation, and pursuing win-win outcomes are our common wishes and responsibilities.

We must firmly uphold international fairness and justice, safeguard world peace and stability. In today’s restless world, various global threats and challenges continue to emerge. BRICS countries all cherish peace and strive for it. Achieving lasting world peace, ensuring peaceful and stable social environments in every country, and enabling all peoples to live and work in peace are our shared aspirations.

Regardless of the changing international dynamics, we must always adhere to peaceful development and win-win cooperation, choosing peace over war, cooperation over confrontation, and considering the legitimate concerns of other countries while pursuing our own interests.

No matter how the global landscape shifts, we must consistently uphold equality and democracy, respect diverse social systems and development paths chosen by each country, respect cultural diversity, and ensure that all nations, regardless of size, strength, wealth, are equal members of the international community. Each country’s affairs should be decided by its own people, while international matters should be handled through consultation among nations.

Whatever changes occur in global governance systems, we must actively engage, play a constructive role, steer international order towards greater justice and equity, and provide institutional guarantees for world peace and stability.

We must vigorously promote the establishment of global development partnerships and drive collective prosperity among nations. One tree does not make a forest. In an era of deepening economic globalization, the development of BRICS countries cannot happen in isolation; it must also promote the common development of all countries.

We need to strive for economic development, improve livelihoods, do our part well, and contribute additional growth points to the world economy. We should push for enhanced coordination of macroeconomic policies, reform of the international monetary and financial system, facilitate liberalization and facilitation of trade and investment to foster stronger global economic development.

We must actively participate in shaping the international development agenda, harnessing humanity’s accumulated productivity and material resources to achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals, narrow the development gap between North and South, and promote a more balanced global development. The theme of today’s meeting, “Commitment to development, integration, and industrialization partnership,” represents not only the development objectives of BRICS countries but also the significant direction for cooperation between BRICS and African countries.

We must use partnerships to closely connect the BRICS nations and work ardently to advance cooperation in fields such as trade, finance, infrastructure development, and people-to-people exchanges towards the goals of an integrated market, multi-level circulation, land-sea-air connectivity, and extensive cultural exchanges.

We must collectively support Africa’s efforts to achieve strong growth, accelerate integration and industrialization, and make African economies a new highlight of the world economy.

We must deepen mutually beneficial cooperation and strive for mutually beneficial outcomes. The 3 billion people of BRICS countries deserve to lead good lives and realize their aspirations for a better life comprehensively. There is still a long way to go. While primarily reliant on self-reliance in individual countries, enhanced cooperation among BRICS countries is also essential.

We need to strengthen political mutual trust and people-to-people friendships among the five countries, intensify exchanges of governance experiences, jointly promote industrialization, information technology, urbanization, and modernization of agriculture processes, grasp the laws of development, innovate development concepts, and address development challenges. We must continue to enhance coordination and cooperation within frameworks such as the United Nations, G20, international economic and financial institutions to uphold common interests.

We should translate political consensus into concrete actions, actively promote projects like the BRICS Development Bank, foreign exchange reserves pool, accelerate practical cooperation in various fields, solidify the economic and social foundation of cooperation, and demonstrate a positive image of BRICS countries seeking development and promoting collaboration.

Having just celebrated its fifth anniversary, BRICS is still in its early stages of development. We must carry out our tasks diligently, develop the partnership of BRICS countries well, and construct effective mechanisms for cooperation. With confidence in our own development path and confidence in BRICS cooperation, unwavering in the face of risks and undeterred by disturbances, our cause can surely prosper.

Colleagues,

Everyone is concerned about China’s future development. Looking ahead, China will advance towards two grand goals: by 2020, doubling its GDP and per capita income of urban and rural residents compared to 2010, comprehensively building a moderately prosperous society benefiting over a billion people. By the centenary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 2049, China aims to build a modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, and harmonious.

To achieve these goals, we will continue to prioritize development, with economic construction as the central task, persisting in putting people first, comprehensively promoting economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological progress, coordinating various aspects and links of modernization development to build a beautiful China.

This development is an open development. We will adhere to the basic national policy of opening up, implement an open strategy of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, and continuously elevate the level of an open economy.

This development is a cooperative development. We will adhere to the concept of common development, engage in economic and technological cooperation with countries worldwide on an equal and mutual basis, and promote our own development and the common development of all nations through collaboration.

To achieve these ambitious goals, we require a favorable external environment. China will continue to pursue an independent foreign policy of peace, combining the interests of the Chinese people with those of people in other countries, strengthen macroeconomic policy coordination with countries worldwide, oppose protectionism, enhance global economic governance, and jointly promote world economic growth.

Colleagues,

Strengthening cooperation with BRICS countries remains one of the priority directions of China’s foreign policy. China will continue to enhance cooperation with BRICS countries, promoting robust economic growth, perfecting cooperation frameworks, enriching cooperative outcomes, bringing tangible benefits to the peoples of each country, and making greater contributions to world peace and development!

Thank you.

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