President Xi Jinping addresses the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, Oct 23, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
President Xi Jinping presented a broad vision on Wednesday for BRICS countries to stay committed to peace, innovation, green development, justice and closer people-to-people exchanges, saying that the grouping should serve as a vanguard for advancing global governance reform.
Speaking to other leaders attending the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, the Chinese president called for shared efforts to develop the grouping into "a primary channel for strengthening solidarity and cooperation among Global South nations".
Russian President Vladimir Putin presided over the event at the Kazan Expo. The leaders at the summit adopted the Kazan Declaration and outlined the criteria for the category of a BRICS partner country.
"The enlargement of BRICS is a major milestone in its history, and a landmark event in the evolution of the international situation. At this summit, we have decided to invite many countries to become partner countries, which is another major progress in the development of BRICS," Xi told the summit's open plenary session. "We must build on this milestone summit to set off anew and forge ahead with one heart and one mind."
