First 2022 BRICS Think Tank Symposium Held

On April 25th, the first 2022 BRICS think tank symposium was held online. The meeting was hosted by China Council for BRICS Think-tank Cooperation (CCBTC), the Chinese coordinator for BRICS think tank cooperation, and organized by University of International Business and Economics (UIBE), the vice-chairman organization of CCBTC. BRICS scholars gathered online and shared their views on “promoting high-quality economic and trade cooperation among BRICS countries”.

Jin Xin, Secretary-General of CCBTC, director-general of the Research Office of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, and Xia Wenbin, president of UIBE delivered speeches respectively. Jin Xin said that at present, changes and the pandemic unseen in a century are intertwined and interacting with each other. The international landscape is evolving fastly and the recovery of the world economy remains a daunting task.  Economic globalization has suffered setbacks, which have caused serious impacts on all countries, especially emerging markets and developing countries, and brought new challenges to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Faced with such complicated and ever-changing international situation, as an important force to promote the evolution of the international order, improve global governance and promote the development of all countries, BRICS countries should safeguard the common interests of emerging market countries and developing countries, and play a greater role in safeguarding and practicing true multilateralism, and promoting global economic recovery and sustainable development.

Under this background, Chinese President Xi Jinping put forward the Global Development Initiative at the UN General Assembly, which serves to draw a road map for solving the global development imbalance, provide an accelerator for advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and has received warm response from the
international community. In order to echo the concerns of all parties on development issues, China takes “Foster High-quality BRICS Partnership, Usher in a New Era for global Dvelopment” as the theme of 2022 BRICS cooperation, with the hope to work with all parties to build a more comprehensive, close and pragmatic BRICS partnership to jointly achieve stronger, greener and healthier global development. Economic and trade cooperation is a key area of cooperation among BRICS countries, and a higher level of economic and trade cooperation is a strong support for BRICS countries to jointly achieve high-quality and sustainable development.

To promote high-quality economic and trade cooperation among BRICS countries: first, we should improve global economic governance and create a sound environment for international economic and trade cooperation; second, it is necessary to improve the level of economic, trade and financial cooperation and strengthen the ability to cope with external risks; third, we need to strengthen digital cooperation and create new highlights of economic and trade cooperation; fourth, we
should develop green economic cooperation and help BRICS countries achieve green economic development.

Xia Wenbin said that global development cooperation is facing many unfavorable factors, and it is urgent for countries all over the world, especially emerging market countries as represented by BRICS, to deepen cooperation and enhance the influence of developing countries in international affairs. BRICS countries need to jointly promote global economic governance, maintain a fair and just world economic order, oppose all forms of trade and investment protectionism, strengthen development-oriented financial cooperation, cement high-quality economic and trade cooperation mechanisms, carry out international assistance cooperation on key issues such as famine, refugees,
climate change and public health, build a “BRICS think tank community”, and realize the institutionalization and normalization of BRICS think tank cooperation. The University of International Business and Economics will