'Golden decade' envisioned for BRICS nations

It is important for BRICS countries to exchange governance experiences as the bloc, consisting of emerging and developing nations, strives to usher in its second "golden decade", a senior publicity official said on Thursday.

Huang Kunming, executive vice-minister of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said the five BRICS countries — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — have gained valuable governance experience in past years that produced excellent economic growth despite global sluggishness.

Huang made the remarks in his keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the BRICS Seminar on Governance in Quanzhou, Fujian province. The seminar attracted more than 1,100 representatives, including senior officials, entrepreneurs and researchers.

The economies of the BRICS countries account for nearly a quarter of the world's total, and they have been the source of more than half of global growth in the past 10 years, Huang said.

"It is of great significance for BRICS countries that are undergoing development at a similar stage and face shared challenges to discuss and learn from each other for a better shared future," he said.

Huang suggested that the seminar should be a long-term program, affording space to bring together think tanks and the media to provide intellectual support for common development while expanding the scale of exchanges and cooperation under an environment of more players joining in.

Essop Pahad, a former Cabinet minister in South Africa, said during the seminar that China's experiences of reducing poverty could be shared with Africa given that many African countries still have to "continue their battle against poverty, joblessness, inequality, disease, conflict, famine and militarized and gender violence".

"Poverty is a major factor which affects close to 400 million Africans who continue to survive on less than $1.25 a day," he said, China's commitment to working with Africa to reduce poverty is "particularly important", he said.

He Yiting, executive vice-president of the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, said China wants the world to understand President Xi Jinping's principles of governance, which, while designed specifically for China's special domestic situation, have broader applicability in that the same principles hold for global governance.

"President Xi Jinping is now proposing a grand vision of global governance, stressing the strength of stability and the goal of mutual prosperity, with China playing a dramatic new role in seeking global win-win cooperation," he said.

BRICS is one platform in an increasingly complex environment of global governance, he said, adding that the Belt and Road Initiative provides a means to facilitate development in developing countries and reverse devastating disparities in economic and social well-being.

On July 28, while meeting with heads of the delegations for the 7th Meeting of BRICS High Representatives for Security Issues, Xi said BRICS cooperation will usher in its second "golden decade" as long as the five members make joint efforts for closer ties with the spirit of openness, inclusiveness, cooperation and win-win.

Ruan Zongze, executive vice-president of the China Institute of International Studies, said BRICS cooperation has not only helped the countries themselves, but enhanced the right to speak on global issues for all developing countries.