Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

On Thursday morning, local time, Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the "BRICS Plus" leaders' dialogue at the Kazan Expo International Exhibition Center, and delivered an important speech titled "Combining the Great Strength of the Global South To Build Together a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind." In his speech, President Xi stated that we should uphold peace and strive for common security, reinvigorate development and strive for common prosperity, and promote together development of all civilizations and strive for harmony among them. These points are concrete embodiments of China's three global initiatives within the BRICS cooperation mechanism. The enthusiastic response they have generated clearly shows that the "Global South" countries are seeing momentum and hope for building a better tomorrow through BRICS.

As President Xi stated, "Global South" countries marching together toward modernization is monumental in world history and unprecedented in human civilization. The BRICS cooperation mechanism was born from the wave of the collective rise of "Global South" countries, making BRICS the most dynamic part of today's global economic development. Naturally, BRICS carries the imprint of the "Global South," resonating with and consolidating the common vision and core demands of "Global South" countries for the future. That is, we must uphold peace and oppose war and turbulence, pursue development and eliminate poverty, remain open and oppose exclusion, stay engaged in cooperation and oppose confrontation, strengthen solidarity and oppose division, as well as uphold equity and oppose bullying. 

In the Kazan Declaration issued at the 16th BRICS Summit, the BRICS countries reiterate the commitment to the peaceful resolution of disputes through diplomacy, mediation and inclusive dialogue, as well as support for multilateral trading system. They are deeply concerned about the disruptive effect of unlawful unilateral coercive measures, and call for the reform of the Bretton Woods institutions, which includes increased representation of Emerging Market and Developing Countries (EMDCs) in leadership positions, among other points. These series of consensuses reached by BRICS leaders are practical and targeted, and the BRICS cooperation mechanism has become a key force in promoting positive transformation in the global governance system, effectively addressing the world's deficits in peace, development, security, and governance.

On October 23, when President Xi spoke about how to promote high-quality development of the "Greater BRICS Cooperation," he proposed building "a BRICS committed to peace," "a BRICS committed to innovation," "a BRICS committed to green development," "a BRICS committed to justice" and "a BRICS committed to closer people-to-people exchanges," which represent the shared direction of the BRICS countries' efforts. In fact, the development of the BRICS mechanism to date is a result of practical and steady work in the right direction, building a new world brick by brick. These "five commitments" are the guiding direction for promoting the stable and sustainable development of "Greater BRICS Cooperation," and serve as the five pillars of BRICS, supporting the community with a shared future for mankind and representing a better future in which the common values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy, and freedom for all humanity are realized.

With a shared commitment to common values and a proactive cooperation model, the "Greater BRICS Cooperation" is poised to grow even larger. Since the launch of the BRICS cooperation mechanism, a series of significant initiatives have been introduced and implemented, genuinely benefiting countries and their peoples. These efforts have played a crucial role in promoting global stability and security, facilitating interconnectedness in global production and supply chains, and addressing the risks of de-globalization. Countless practices demonstrate that "Greater BRICS Cooperation" stands on the right side of history and will contribute to building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Why does BRICS cooperation possess such strong cohesion? Some Western political elites may find it difficult to grasp its intricacies, but as long as they are involved in BRICS cooperation, understanding the issue will become much simpler. A distinctive feature of BRICS cooperation is its comfort. Each country chooses the way it feels most comfortable to participate, without worrying about threats to its core interests, ensuring that its reasonable demands and interests can be realized in the most suitable manner. Moreover, there are no mandatory statements; both large and small countries receive the same level of respect. This fundamentally differs from the unilateralism and hegemonism characteristic of past military and political alliances led by Western countries.

The current escalation of geopolitical conflicts has brought about increased destruction and uncertainty. Countries in the "Global South," including BRICS nations, are increasingly prioritizing the improvement of people's livelihoods and the realization of modernization as urgent tasks. This is why the China-proposed Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, and Global Civilization Initiative have received an increasingly enthusiastic response from the international community. In this sense, the success of BRICS is also a success for these three global initiatives. They not only provide greater development momentum for the "Global South" countries but also serve as a vivid footnote to the development and progress of our times.