SCIO briefing on BRICS opportunities, challenges and prospects
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E-mail China.org.cn, August 28, 2017
Xi Yanchun:
Please note that our guests for today's briefing are experts, not government officials. Your questions concerning the meetings of state leaders and the concrete agenda of the summit still need to be officially confirmed by the authorities. Therefore, we ask for your patience until the authorities announce their plan in due course. Now, let's continue with questions.
Press Trust of India:
What is the focus of this year's BRICS summit and what is the difference between this year's meeting and the previous years'? You mentioned this year marked the tenth anniversary of the BRICS summit, then what consensus is expected to be reached among the five economies and where is the BRICS heading for? Thanks.
Zhang Yansheng:
The theme of this year's summit is "BRICS: Stronger Partnership for a Brighter Future." As Professor Zhang said, documents on ten aspects were approved at a trade minister meeting in early August.
The first aspect was on the establishment of a BRICS Pilot E-port Network. We are now in an era of artificial intelligence, and a key issue is to set up an e-port network to make cross-border trade and exchange more convenient.
Second, the meeting endorsed the Guidelines on the BRICS Trade in Services Cooperation. Service trade, especially those which strengthen the manufacturing industry as well as enrich people's lives, can promote the BRICS countries' economic development.
Third, BRICS cooperation in the e-commerce sector was also endorsed at the meeting. E-commerce has played an important role in China's development in the past thirty years, thus BRICS nations are figuring out how to develop our cooperation more rapidly in this respect. During the G20 Hangzhou summit last year, Jack Ma (founder of Alibaba) came up with the idea of EWTP, an electronic world trade platform which we believe will help better develop e-commerce.
Fourth, the meeting also approved the Guidelines on Cooperation in Intellectual Property Rights. The protection of intellectual property rights is essential for the BRICS to foster an innovation-driven economy.
Fifth, the BRICS countries signed the Outline for BRICS Investment Facilitation to ensure the finance of small-and-micro or small-and-medium-size enterprises (SMEs).
Sixth, the Framework on Strengthening Economic and Technical Cooperation was signed at the meeting. The framework makes clear how the BRICS countries will achieve green, exclusive, sustainable and balanced development through economic and technical cooperation.
Seventh, a consensus was reached to support the multilateral trading system and oppose protectionism in fields of trade, investment and finance.
Eighth, as announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping in his speech at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation on May 14 this year, China will host the China International Import Expo in 2018, and is expected to import goods worth US$8 trillion in the ensuing five years. As long as each BRICS member country takes the lead in exploring its internal demand, expanding consumption and increasing imports, it will provide a driving force for the development of BRICS countries as well as for the world economy as a whole.
These eight aspects mentioned above will be submitted to the summit in September for further implementation. The summit aims to promote economic development through partnerships so that the world will embrace a brighter future. That is critical to emerging markets and developing countries, like China and India, as it will benefit ordinary people, youngsters and small businesses.
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