7th Indian Ocean Conference - IOC 2024
June 15, 2017
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11-06-2017
Thank you for hosting this political parties forum and inviting us in the run up to the forthcoming BRICS Leaders Conclave. The amount of preparatory work that is being undertaken by the IDCPC clearly demonstrates the importance that China attaches to BRICS alliance.
In ten years BRICS has come of age. It has grown into an important non-Western voice in the world, thanks to the efforts of all the member countries. Today its gaining strength and influence further. When we hosted the 8th BRICS Summit at Goa last year we were joined by the BIMSTEC countries. We understand that a number of countries are likely to join us at the next BIMSTEC meeting in China too.
BRICS countries are engaged in cooperation in a large number of areas including political relations, security, trade and economy, defence technology, energy, science and culture. As leaders of the political parties from the BRICS nations we should also step in and take up the responsibility for encouraging more people-to-people cultural, educational and humanitarian exchanges, so as to evolve a foreign policy in each of our countries that contributes to the establishment of a more peaceful and just world order.
The world is facing transformative challenges in this century. The upheavals that have become a daily occurrence in the global body politic call for a proactive role for the BRICS nations. These challenges cover issues like the future of the Paris Climate Deal, Afghanistan, Middle East, North Korea, West Asia, terrorism etc. BRICS countries can use their influence and power to play a constructive role in addressing several of these challenges.
However the real challenge for the BRICS countries is internal. We are a group from diverse regions and diverse problems. One common factor that binds us together is that as a non-Western grouping we can offer a non-Western narrative to the world problems. However, a coherent intra-BRICS narrative still eludes us. Without such a narrative bilateralism has the potential to undermine multilateralism.
I hope and urge that the political and intellectual leadership in the BRICS nations takes up that challenge and helps build a coherent BRICS narrative for global governance in the 21st century.
Thank you.
