On June 22, the BRICS Business Forum was held. Speaking via video link from Beijing at the opening ceremony of the forum, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for international solidarity and coordination to maintain world peace and stability and promote global sustainable development.

In his keynote speech, Xi also reaffirmed the need to implement the Global Security Initiative and the Global Development Initiative proposed by China in order to realize common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security and to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

It is clear from Xi's speech that global cooperation, global solidarity, global security and development are China's priorities, and is strongly interested in promoting these vital principles around the world. China is diligently promoting these values within the BRICS and other global integration associations, knowing full well that these priorities can lay the foundation for a world without any wars and armed conflicts.

During the pandemic, BRICS, one might say, has acquired a new role in the world. This role is an alliance of like-minded people to reflect new challenges, to show the possibilities of intercivilizational cooperation to ensure security and progress.

It is well remembered that China, in response to the challenges of the pandemic, called on the entire world community to strengthen cooperation on health protection at the regional and international levels and take coordinated responses in the fight against COVID-19.

In such a situation, it is essential to continue to work in the spirit of solidarity and cooperation, which has always been China's important message to the international community.

It must be admitted that the BRICS to a large extent serves as an example of a strong partnership, which is based on such principles as openness, responsiveness, respect for territorial integrity, and non-interference in the internal affairs of a friend. Within the framework of BRICS, fundamental, progressive work is being carried out to build up practical cooperation in areas that are strategically important for the member countries of this organization.

First, this is strengthening global security, deepening trade, economic and investment cooperation, developing interregional cooperation, overcoming the digital divide, achieving sustainable development and inclusive growth. Such a wide range of areas of cooperation clearly indicates that the BRICS has become a comprehensive partnership operating in the spirit of equality and mutual respect.

As the world is facing growing challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, security concerns, slow economic recovery and regression in global development, China offered to strengthen global cooperation for the benefit of peace and stability in the world.

Despite the fact that the BRICS members have faced various challenges - a pandemic, a global food crisis, etc., the organization's strategic course to maintain global security remains. At the same time, unlike other global integration associations, BRICS is the anchor of stability and security. Therefore, not only cooperation within the BRICS itself is important, but also the development of the BRICS plus framework, i.e. multi-format cooperation with other countries, primarily with those countries that are ready to support and promote global solidarity, global security, stability and development. The expansion of BRICS is in the interest of all developing countries and aims to help improve global governance by enhancing South-South cooperation.

In the last 14 years, the BRICS has achieved quite a lot. Today, in the context of growing global turbulence, the world is overshadowed by the dark clouds of Cold War mentality and the BRICS is facing new challenges. To overcome all difficulties, the BRICS nations should work together to seize the opportunity to boost collaboration, uphold solidarity, safeguard world peace, and practice true multilateralism.

Seymur Mammadov is the director of the international expert club EurAsiaAz and editor-in-chief of Azerbaijan news agency Baku Tribune.

The opinions expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of China Daily and China Daily website.

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