Remarks by H.E. Wang Yi
At the Session for Ministers of Foreign Affairs / International Relations
From BRICS Members and Partner Countries

Rio de Janeiro, April 29, 2025

Colleagues,

It is my pleasure to meet friends old and new here in Rio de Janeiro. I would like to welcome the nine partner countries to the BRICS family.

Eleven years ago, at the BRICS summit in Fortaleza, Brazil, President Xi Jinping proposed the BRICS spirit of openness, inclusiveness, cooperation and win-win progress, which pointed the way for the growth of the BRICS mechanism. Yesterday, President Xi Jinping paid a special visit to the headquarters of the New Development Bank (NDB) and had a cordial meeting with President Dilma Rousseff and other members of the bank’s senior management, which sent a strong message of China’s firm support for the NDB and expressed the hope that the NDB will advance together with the BRICS family toward modernization. BRICS countries have more and more partners along the journey, and the path of cooperation is becoming ever wider.

With the official expansion of BRICS and the joining of partner countries, the BRICS family today accounts for more than half of the world’s population and nearly 30 percent of global economic output. It now stands at the forefront of the Global South. In the face of hegemonism, BRICS countries should stay true to principles and serve as the main force in upholding fairness and justice. Confronted with unilateralism, BRICS countries should stand at the vanguard and be the backbone for promoting solidarity and cooperation.

President Xi Jinping pointed out that the problems facing the world are intricate and complex and that the way out of them is through upholding and practicing multilateralism and building a community with a shared future for mankind. In this context, the greater BRICS should shoulder the important responsibilities of the times and join hands with other members of the Global South to chart a bright path of openness, inclusiveness, cooperation and win-win progress. It is thus most opportune and relevant that we focus today’s discussion on multilateralism.

To strengthen multilateralism, we should first and foremost defend the central role of the United Nations (U.N.). No country has the right to monopolize international affairs. International rules and order should be jointly formulated and observed by all countries. The U.N. is at the center of the multilateral system and plays an irreplaceable role in global governance. Faced with the current challenges, the authority of the U.N. must only be strengthened, not weakened.

The expanded greater BRICS should continue to advocate for extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefit, jointly oppose all retrogressive acts in this world, safeguard the basic norms of international relations, and defend the multilateral trading system. We should advance the reform of international institutions on the basis of extensive consultation and consensus-building, and work for a more just and equitable global governance system that serves the common interests of all countries in the world.

To strengthen multilateralism, we should also promote the peaceful settlement of disputes. We humanity live in an indivisible security community where no one’s security is superior to others’. Only by accommodating the legitimate security concerns of all sides and seeking the common ground for universal security can we eliminate the root cause of conflicts and wars. It is important that we practice the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, stay committed to resolving differences and disputes through peaceful means, and play a constructive role for the political settlement of hotspot issues.

The Ukraine crisis tells us that security should be mutual and equal. One country’s security cannot be built upon another country’s insecurity. China welcomes and supports all efforts conducive to peace. China and Brazil jointly issued a six-point consensus on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis. Together with other Global South countries, we launched the Group of Friends for Peace at the U.N. The purpose is to build international consensus for the political settlement of the crisis. China will continue to, based on the will of the parties to the conflict, work with the international community and especially other BRICS countries to play a constructive role in achieving genuine peace.

The reignited flames of war in Gaza have gripped the whole world. The pressing priority is immediate and comprehensive ceasefire and relief of the humanitarian disaster. We support the Gaza recovery and reconstruction plan endorsed by Arab and Islamic countries, and firmly uphold the principle of Palestinians governing Palestine. The crux of the recurrent Palestinian-Israeli conflict lies in the failure to realize the two-State solution. Going forward, the international community should give greater support to independent statehood for Palestine.

To strengthen multilateralism, we should foster an open and cooperative international environment. Recently, the United States has imposed arbitrary tariffs on nearly all its trading partners, wielding the tariff stick across the world. All countries need to make a decision: Do we allow the world to turn back into a jungle where the strong bullies the weak? Do we agree that one country’s selfish interests can override the common well-being of all? Do we let international rules be flouted or even discarded? Do compromise and concession keep oneself unscathed? Ultimately, do we accept a domineering unipolar hegemony, or embrace an equal and orderly multipolar world? History must not be reversed, and justice resides in the hearts of all. On trade war, China’s answer is clear and its position steadfast: If the United States insists on waging a trade war, we will keep it company till the end. If the U.S. seeks dialogue, then dialogue must be carried out on an equal and respectful basis. What China upholds is not just our own legitimate rights, but also the common interests of all countries; what China safeguards is not just mutually beneficial cooperation, but also international rules; what China stands firmly for is not just our national dignity, but also fairness and justice in the world.

Colleagues,

Together, BRICS members and partner countries make up our BRICS family. With doors wide open and arms held out, we should help partner countries integrate well into this mechanism and participate fully in our cooperation, which will keep BRICS growing with sustained vitality. It is important to continue to expand the “BRICS Plus” model, and pool strength for peace and development together with more like-minded countries. China will actively implement the visions put forward by President Xi Jinping, namely high-quality development of greater BRICS cooperation and building a BRICS committed to peace, innovation, green development, justice and closer people-to-people exchanges. China supports Brazil in carrying out its duties as the chair, and will work with all sides to chart a bright future for BRICS cooperation.