On the evening of September 8, 2025, (Beijing Time) Chinese President Xi Jinping attended a Virtual Summit of the ten full members of the BRICS cooperation mechanism and delivered a speech entitled “Forging Ahead in Solidarity and Cooperation.”
The summit was convened and chaired by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, whose country holds the current rotating Chair of BRICS. Lula’s initiative was largely triggered by the economic, political and psychological warfare currently being waged by the US Trump administration against many BRICS members, including Brazil, South Africa, India, Russia and China. Besides Presidents Xi and Lula, it was also attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Khaled bin Mohamed representing the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the representatives of India and Ethiopia. India was represented by Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, with the absence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi being widely interpreted as indicating his continued vacillation between the interests of the Global South and those of the imperialist camp headed by the United States.
In his speech, President Xi noted that transformation unseen in a century is accelerating across the world. Hegemonism, unilateralism, and protectionism are getting more and more rampant. BRICS countries, standing at the forefront of the Global South, should act on the BRICS Spirit of openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation, jointly defend multilateralism and the multilateral trading system, advance greater BRICS cooperation, and build a community with a shared future for humanity.
To this end, President Xi made three proposals:
- Upholding multilateralism to defend international fairness and justice. Multilateralism is the shared aspiration of the people and the overarching trend of our time. It provides an important underpinning for world peace and development. The Global Governance Initiative that President Xi recently proposed is aimed at galvanising joint global action for a more just and equitable system. Active efforts should be made to promote greater democracy in international relations and increase the representation and voice of Global South countries.
- Upholding openness and win-win cooperation to safeguard the international economic and trade order. BRICS countries should promote a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalisation, place development at the heart of the international agenda, and ensure that Global South countries participate in international cooperation as equals and share in the fruits of development.
- Upholding solidarity and cooperation to foster synergy for common development. BRICS countries account for nearly half of the world’s population, around 30 percent of global economic output, and one-fifth of global trade. The more closely they work together, the more resilient, resourceful and effective they are in addressing external risks and challenges.
Other participating leaders said that unilateralist and bullying acts are disrupting the international order, international law and international rules are under threat, and trade is being used as a tool to interfere in other countries’ internal affairs, which severely jeopardises world peace and development. BRICS countries need to strengthen solidarity and collaboration, jointly respond to crises and challenges, safeguard multilateralism, uphold the international system of free and open trade, and protect the common interests of the Global South.
The Bloomberg financial news service further reported Lula as stating that, “Tariff blackmail is being normalised as an instrument to seize markets and interfere in domestic affairs… Our countries have become victims of unjustified and illegal trade practices.”
Calling for unity, he added: “It is up to BRICS to show that cooperation overcomes any form of rivalry. We have the necessary legitimacy to lead the renewal of the multilateral trading system on modern, flexible foundations geared to our development needs.”
South African President Ramaphosa said developing nations are facing “great hardships and danger” and that South Africa has already experienced negative economic effects from the trade upheaval. He called on BRICS to “play a critical role in strengthening the multilateral system.”
The following articles were originally published on the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
President Xi Jinping Attends Virtual BRICS Summit and Delivers Important Statement
September 8 (MFA) – On the evening of September 8, 2025, President Xi Jinping attended a Virtual BRICS Summit and delivered an important statement titled “Forging Ahead in Solidarity and Cooperation.”
The summit was chaired by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and also attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, the UAE’s Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Khaled bin Mohamed, and the representatives of India and Ethiopia.
President Xi noted that transformation unseen in a century is accelerating across the world. Hegemonism, unilateralism, and protectionism are getting more and more rampant. BRICS countries, standing at the forefront of the Global South, should act on the BRICS Spirit of openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation, jointly defend multilateralism and the multilateral trading system, advance greater BRICS cooperation, and build a community with a shared future for humanity.
To this end, President Xi made three proposals.
First, upholding multilateralism to defend international fairness and justice. Multilateralism is the shared aspiration of the people and the overarching trend of our time. It provides an important underpinning for world peace and development. The Global Governance Initiative that President Xi recently proposed is aimed at galvanizing joint global action for a more just and equitable global governance system. It is important to follow the principle of extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefit, and safeguard the international system with the United Nations at its core and the international order based on international law, so as to cement the foundations of multilateralism. Active efforts should be made to promote greater democracy in international relations and increase the representation and voice of Global South countries. The global governance system should be improved through reform so as to fully mobilize resources from all quarters and tackle more effectively the common challenges for humanity.
Second, upholding openness and win-win cooperation to safeguard the international economic and trade order. Economic globalization is an irresistible trend of history. Countries cannot thrive without an international environment of open cooperation, and no country can afford to retreat to self-imposed isolation. BRICS countries must stay committed to building an open global economy, so as to share opportunities and achieve win-win outcomes in openness. The multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core should be upheld and all forms of protectionism should be opposed. BRICS countries should promote a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, place development at the heart of the international agenda, and ensure that Global South countries participate in international cooperation as equals and share in the fruits of development.
Third, upholding solidarity and cooperation to foster synergy for common development. BRICS countries account for nearly half of the world’s population, around 30 percent of global economic output, and one-fifth of global trade. The more closely they work together, the more resilient, resourceful and effective they are in addressing external risks and challenges. China is ready to work with fellow BRICS countries to implement the Global Development Initiative, advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, leverage respective strengths, deepen practical cooperation, and make their business, financial, scientific and technological cooperation more productive, so as to strengthen the foundation, momentum and impact of greater BRICS cooperation and deliver more practical benefits to their peoples.
Other participating leaders said that unilateralist and bullying acts are disrupting the international order, international law and international rules are under threat, and trade is being used as a tool to interfere in other countries’ internal affairs, which severely jeopardize world peace and development. BRICS countries need to strengthen solidarity and collaboration, jointly respond to crises and challenges, safeguard multilateralism, uphold the international system of free and open trade, and protect the common interests of the Global South. The leaders believe that the Global Governance Initiative proposed by President Xi is pertinent and points the direction and path for improving global governance. The parties agreed to maintain communication on hotspot issues such as the Ukraine crisis and the conflict in Gaza. They stressed the need to make good use of the Group of Friends for Peace on the Ukraine crisis and adhere to the two-State solution for resolving the Palestinian question and maintaining peace and stability in the Middle East.
Cai Qi and Wang Yi, among others, were present at the meeting.
Forging Ahead in Solidarity and Cooperation
September 8 (MFA) – Statement by H.E. Xi Jinping
President of the People’s Republic of China
At the Virtual BRICS Summit
September 8, 2025
Your Excellency President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva,
Distinguished Colleagues,
It is very relevant that we BRICS leaders have this virtual summit today to discuss thoroughly the current international situation and issues of common interest.
As we speak, transformation unseen in a century is accelerating across the world. Hegemonism, unilateralism, and protectionism are getting more and more rampant. Trade wars and tariff wars waged by some country severely disrupt the world economy and undermine international trade rules. At this critical juncture, BRICS countries, standing at the forefront of the Global South, should act on the BRICS Spirit of openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation, jointly defend multilateralism and the multilateral trading system, advance greater BRICS cooperation, and build a community with a shared future for humanity. To this end, I wish to make three proposals.
First, we should uphold multilateralism to defend international fairness and justice. History tells us that multilateralism is the shared aspiration of the people and the overarching trend of our time. It provides an important underpinning for world peace and development. The Global Governance Initiative that I proposed is aimed at galvanizing joint global action for a more just and equitable global governance system. We should follow the principle of extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefit, and safeguard the international system with the United Nations at its core and the international order based on international law, so as to cement the foundations of multilateralism. At the same time, we should actively promote greater democracy in international relations and increase the representation and voice of Global South countries. We should improve the global governance system through reform so as to fully mobilize resources from all quarters and tackle more effectively the common challenges for humanity.
Second, we should uphold openness and win-win cooperation to safeguard the international economic and trade order. Economic globalization is an irresistible trend of history. Countries cannot thrive without an international environment of open cooperation, and no country can afford to retreat to self-imposed isolation. No matter how the international landscape may evolve, we must stay committed to building an open global economy, so as to share opportunities and achieve win-win outcomes in openness. We should uphold the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core and oppose all forms of protectionism. We should promote a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, place development at the heart of our international agenda, and ensure that Global South countries participate in international cooperation as equals and share in the fruits of development.
Third, we should uphold solidarity and cooperation to foster synergy for common development. As a Chinese saying goes, “It takes a good blacksmith to forge good steel.” We can only cope with external challenges more effectively when we manage our own affairs well in the first place. BRICS countries account for nearly half of the world’s population, around 30 percent of global economic output, and one-fifth of global trade. We are also home to major natural resources, big manufacturers and vast markets. The more closely we work together, the more resilient, resourceful and effective we are in addressing external risks and challenges. China is ready to work with fellow BRICS countries to implement the Global Development Initiative and advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. We should leverage our respective strengths, deepen practical cooperation, and make our business, financial, scientific and technological cooperation more productive, so as to strengthen the foundation, momentum and impact of greater BRICS cooperation and deliver more practical benefits to our peoples.
Distinguished Colleagues,
Strong wind tests the resilience of grass, and fierce fire reveals true gold. As long as we step up to take our responsibilities and look out for each other, the giant ship of BRICS will brave the shifting international tides and sail far and steady.
Thank you.
