Initiatives for 'greater BRICS' cooperation contribute to the well-being of humanity: China Daily editorial

At Session II of the 18th BRICS Summit held in New Delhi on Sunday, President Xi Jinping proposed five initiatives for "greater BRICS" cooperation, building on the four-point proposal he put forward a day earlier and providing a road map for enhancing pragmatic collaboration among BRICS countries in key fields.

While the four-point proposal outlined a vision for BRICS development — pursuing innovation-driven growth, safeguarding peace and stability, promoting mutual learning among civilizations and improving global governance — the latest initiatives identify concrete areas — artificial intelligence, trade and investment facilitation, digital industry, smart manufacturing and talent development — in which BRICS countries can work together to gradually turn that vision into reality.

More importantly, Xi detailed the support and cooperation opportunities China is ready to provide in these areas.

The country will be a pioneer in establishing a BRICS AI open source community, support the cooperation in developing and applying large language models, hold specialized AI seminars and training courses, and build an open ecosystem for AI.

China proposes to establish a BRICS special economic zone partnership, under which countries can set up an intelligent portal, coordinate policies, and build a new frontier for open development.

It will push for establishing a BRICS digital ecosystem cloud platform, and conduct digital skills training, technological exchange and industrial alignment, so as to jointly enable the development of the digital economy.

The country also stands ready to assist fellow BRICS countries in building smart factories and developing standards and norms, and jointly promote manufacturing transformation and upgrading.

China proposes to set up a BRICS engineer cultivation alliance for joint development of engineers and mutual recognition of competency standards. It will launch a BRICS youth exchange program for scientific and technological innovation, so as to cultivate more high-caliber talent.

At a time when certain developed countries are adopting protectionist approaches in these fields and attempting to weaponize technological advantages as instruments of pressure, these initiatives demonstrate a different path — one based on openness, cooperation, inclusiveness and mutual learning. They reflect China's commitment to common development.

The initiatives address critical needs confronting emerging economies, offering practical avenues for countries to upgrade their traditional industries, nurture emerging sectors, explore future industries and strengthen their endogenous growth momentum.

China's approach has consistently placed emphasis on action and results. Since the Global Development Initiative was launched five years ago, it has implemented over 2,000 projects in partnership with other countries, and provided training for more than 200,000 professionals, benefiting people in more than 120 countries.

With China taking the rotating chair of BRICS next year, the five initiatives are expected to generate sustained follow-up cooperation to translate them into projects and tangible benefits in the future.

The cooperation will be of practical importance for BRICS countries to safeguard stable industry and supply chains and foster a large integrated market through building incubators for innovation, upgrading traditional industries, developing emerging industries, and deploying future industries.

China's actions also offer a clear response to the false claim that it is "squeezing" the opportunities for other developing countries. China's development does not remove ladders for other countries. Instead, it is helping to build more ladders and making them accessible to more nations to help them climb the global value chains.

By pursuing high-quality development through such win-win cooperation envisioned by the initiatives, BRICS countries can build stronger foundations for rallying the Global South, serving as an active, stabilizing and positive force in international affairs, and advancing the well-being of all humanity.

This year marks the beginning of China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30). The plan is both a blueprint for China's development and a cooperation list for the rest of the world. By pursuing high-quality development, expanding high-standard opening-up, implementing the Global Development Initiative and advancing Belt and Road cooperation, China will continue to share opportunities and prosper together with all countries.