Chinese FM calls on BRICS nations to preserve world peace, promote global growth

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday urged the BRICS nations to preserve world peace and help promote global growth.

Wang made the remarks while hosting a meeting of foreign ministers from the BRICS nations on the sidelines of a series of UN conferences.

At the meeting, Wang said efforts by BRICS countries in recent years have made a political solution to the crisis in Syria a real possibility.

"We need to continue to be an advocate for using peaceful means, including dialogue and negotiation, to solve global hotspots," he said.

The Chinese minister noted that with the support of the BRICS nations, the Group of 20 (G20) summit in the Chinese city of Hangzhou was a success and provided ample direction for the future development of the world economy.

He said the BRICS nations should take the lead in implementing the agreements reached at the summit while remaining an engine for global economic growth.

Wang said that the G20 Hangzhou summit has endorsed an 2030 action plan for sustainable development and proposed an initiative to support industrialization in Africa and the world's least developed countries. He said the BRICS bloc should urge the developed world to deliver on its promises to developing countries.

Wang said the current system of global governance should better reflect the transformation of the world' s political and economic landscape. He and urged the group to guarantee broader representativeness and give a bigger say for emerging and developing countries.

Indian Minister of State for External Affairs M.J. Akbar said the BRICS should take a concerted stance against terror attacks and jointly tackle terrorism.

He also called for an early approval of the Paris Agreement on climate change and a commitment to emission reduction targets.

Cooperation within the bloc should deepen, including establishing a BRICS credit rating agency and an agricultural network, among others, he added.

South African Foreign Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane commended BRICS for reaching historic achievements and implementing a sustainable development agenda.

She further appealed for changes to the current system of global governance.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov proposed the BRICS move toward establishing a fairer and more just international order, with better coordination on key political and economic issues.

While expressing hope for BRICS members to work together in coping with global challenges, Lavrov also cited people-to-people exchanges, agriculture, railway transportation and tourism as among the sectors for further development this year within the bloc.

Brazilian Foreign Minister Jose Serra expects to see positive results from the BRICS leaders' summit to be held in mid-October in Goa, India, in bolstering economic partnerships between members.

BRICS members need to increase cooperation in such fields as innovation, digital economy, poverty reduction and public health, he added.

The Brazilian foreign minister also hopes that the 2017 BRICS summit to be hosted by China will continue to promote exchange and dialogue.

During their discussions, the ministers also exchanged views on international and regional issues, including the recent Hangzhou G20 summit, cooperation in fighting terrorism, the 2030 agenda for sustainable development, climate change, Mideast unrest and peacekeeping missions in Africa. Endi