Sherpas finish BRICS Summit plans

Members of bloc to hold multiple high-level meetings this year

BRICS member states have had in-depth discussions and reached broad consensus on such issues as political security, economic, and people-to-people exchanges for the summit to be held in Xiamen, Fujian province, in September, a senior Chinese diplomat said on Thursday.

The BRICS members have agreed to hold a series of high-level events throughout this year, including an informal leaders' meeting in Hamburg, Germany, during the G20 summit next month, said Li Baodong, vice-foreign minister.

Li made the remark during the second BRICS Sherpa meeting in Qingdao, Shan-dong province, which was aimed at preparing for the summit. Senior diplomats from BRICS member countries who are in charge of coordination are called Sherpas.

At the two-day meeting, which ended on Thursday, the member states agreed that the outcome document of the BRICS leaders' informal meeting during the G20 Hamburg, Germany, summit should reflect the BRICS position on upholding an open world economy and more inclusive and balanced economic globalization, supporting a multilateral trading system, and advancing the reform of economic governance, Li said.

The vice-minister also highlighted the meetings among the BRICS countries' national security advisers, foreign ministers' meeting, and ministerial level meetings on trade, industry, agriculture, health and other areas, to ensure success of the Xiamen summit.

Sergey A. Ryabkov, Russia's deputy foreign minister, said that the member states have good experience at BRICS "in terms of talking very straightforwardly on many things", which is important at a time when the international situation "is very turbulent".

The senior Russian diplomat said that he is very sure and confident the Xiamen summit will be a huge success that will cement the cooperation and interaction among all BRICS members.

The BRICS chairmanship continues the very good trend, established during the G20 chairmanship of China last year, of taking consideration of all sides, he added.

Georges Lamaziere, a senior Brazilian diplomat who attended the meeting, said that the BRICS members have many common thoughts on issues including international relations, the openness of economy, climate change, and the importance of political and economic multilateral system.

"The five countries are not together by chance. Because they are similar. They are developing countries and big countries that have a similar foreign policy," he said, adding that the BRICS countries have sent positive messages of openness and multilateralism to the world.

"We are in favor of openness of economy, free trade and climate change agreement," he said.