Illustration: GT

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday called for the full leveraging of the strategic significance and political impact of "big BRICS," transforming the group into a new type of multilateral cooperation mechanism that is based on emerging markets and developing countries, globally oriented, and open and inclusive. 

Wang Yi made the remarks on Monday while attending the BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting scheduled from Monday to Tuesday. 

Some experts said the ministerial meeting - the first since the expansion of BRICS - carries a special significance, as the BRICS mechanism has been ushering in a new era of larger scale cooperation, striking a sharp contrast to the US-led small circle of G7. 

Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, told the Foreign Ministers' Meeting that at present, certain major powers are reviving the Cold War mentality, forming geopolitical "small circles," and openly resisting UN Security Council resolutions, thereby undermining the authority of multilateral mechanisms. 

In the face of the contest between forces promoting world multipolarity and those maintaining unipolar hegemony, and the clash between economic globalization and "anti-globalization" tendencies, we must follow the trend of history, stand on the side of fairness and justice, and make the right choices, Wang Yi said. 

Wang Yi also met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Monday. Wang Yi said the BRICS countries represent an important platform for solidarity and cooperation among emerging markets and developing countries. The expanded BRICS mechanism will play a key and significant role in creating a more just and equitable global governance system, Wang said. And China is fully committed to supporting Russia's work as the BRICS chair, jointly strengthening the BRICS strategic partnership with Russia, promoting unity and self-reliance among the Global South, and voicing strong support for multilateralism and common development. This will ensure a successful start to the "big BRICS cooperation."

"The BRICS mechanism has gone beyond just economic and financial cooperation, and is moving toward a three-pronged approach that includes political trust and cultural exchanges alongside economic and financial cooperation," Wang Youming, director of the Institute of Developing Countries at the China Institute of International Studies in Beijing, told the Global Times on Monday. 

The role of the BRICS mechanism is defined by nonconfrontation, non-replacement, and non-counterbalance, Wang Youming said, noting that the bloc's most crucial task is to promote a more just and reasonable international order.

Within the framework of the Foreign Ministers' Meeting, a separate meeting will also be held with the participation of a number of countries of the Global South and East, according to TASS. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin was quoted as saying in media reports in January that about 30 countries were prepared to join BRICS. Most recently, Thailand aims to become the first Southeast Asian country to join the bloc and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also expressed Ankara's desire to become part of it, according to media reports. 

"The meeting is significant as it is the first one since the [2023] expansion, and it aims to further consolidate the consensus among developing countries and amplify their voice in global governance," Song Wei, a professor at the school of international relations and diplomacy at Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times on Monday.

During the meeting with Lavrov, Wang Yi said that developing China-Russia relations is a strategic choice made by both sides based on their fundamental interests, in line with global trends and the spirit of the times. It does not target any third party, nor will it be disrupted by external interference, Wang Yi said. China is ready to work with Russia to maintain strategic resolve, explore cooperation potential, overcome external obstacles, and ensure the steady and long-term development of bilateral relations, he noted.

On the Palestine issue, Wang Yi pointed out at the meeting that China supports Palestine's membership as a full-fledged UN member state, and the resumption of talks on the two-state solution to achieve lasting peace in the Middle East. 

As the Ukraine crisis continues to drag on, China supports the timely convening of genuine peace talks that are accepted by both Russia and Ukraine, with equal participation from all parties and fair discussion of all peace proposals, Wang Yi said. 

BRICS should adhere to independence and objectivity, promote the international community's consensus on peace, and oppose the instigation of a "new cold war" under any pretext, the top Chinese diplomat said. 

As the BRICS meeting takes place, the G7 leaders are preparing to "send a tough new warning" to China and Russia this week in Italy. Some experts said the voice of the Global South, represented by BRICS, increasingly contrasts with the G7's closed small circle.

"BRICS advocates for open cooperation with a wide range of developing countries and for equal cooperation with developed countries, embodying openness and inclusiveness," Wang Youming said, noting that in contrast, the West, supported by an alliance system, is notably targeting and strategic in its approach, particularly toward China and Russia.

Echoing Wang Youming, Song said the BRICS mechanism is entirely composed of emerging market and developing countries, making it more representative of their interests.

"BRICS can consolidate consensus among developing countries, thereby increasing their collective bargaining power and giving them a greater voice in setting global economic governance agendas and rules," Song noted.