Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks during the BRICS leaders' dialogue with the BRICS Business Council and the New Development Bank in Brasilia, Brazil, Nov. 14, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)
"Xi reminds us the world is a better place when we build bridges to connect the world and not spend our time building walls or digging moats," said Tom Watkins, an advisor to the Michigan-China Innovation Center, a non-profit organization.
BEIJING, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- Cooperation among the leading emerging economies of BRICS, an important multilateral mechanism, has created "a real opportunity to distribute the benefits of sustainable development to the world," according to global experts who closely followed the just-concluded summit of the group.
Speaking at the BRICS business forum held in Brazil's capital Brasilia on Wednesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for deepening the BRICS Partnership on New Industrial Revolution and championing multilateralism, a proposal that has won wide support at the meeting and after.
Luis Antonio Paulino, a professor at the Faculty of Philosophy and Sciences in Sao Paulo State University, agreed with Xi, saying "every time a new wave of technological innovation comes along, windows of opportunities (for development) open up."
Noting that protectionism and unilateralism prevent developing countries from benefitting from new technologies, Paulino applauded China's bid as a champion of multilateralism and said "as the world's largest developing economy, China's role is critical not only for the development of the BRICS members, but for all developing countries."
Echoing Xi's speech, Mahmoud Raya, editor-in-chief of the Lebanese "China in Arab Eyes" news, said the BRICS has created an important multilateral mechanism for the five members -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, and their cooperation makes "a real opportunity to distribute the benefits of sustainable development to the world."
Calling the remarkable development in digital economy and modern technologies "a powerful and reliable locomotive to push the whole world economy forward," Raya said "the world is witnessing many indications of this development in the five economies."
Adhere Cavince, a Kenyan international relations expert with a focus on China-Africa relations, said Xi's speech has encouraged supporters for multilateralism and free trade, especially at a time when some states are looking inward.
Tom Watkins, an advisor to the Michigan-China Innovation Center, a non-profit organization, supported Xi's idea on multilateralism, saying "Xi reminds us the world is a better place when we build bridges to connect the world and not spend our time building walls or digging moats."
"I commend Chinese President Xi Jinping for speaking out this global concern of trade protectionism," said Ismael Buchanan, a senior lecturer of the Department of Political Science at the University of Rwanda.
He also voiced support for Xi's call for an open world economy, because that is "a cornerstone to increased trade and investments, which are key to the growth of any country's economy."
Alvaro Echeverria, vice president of the Asia Pacific Chamber of Commerce in Chile, said what counts is the Chinese government's and Xi's stance in favor of multilateralism and against protectionism, as well as the determination to use technologies and reforms to promote common development. ■
