Speech by the Supreme Leader at the Closing Ceremony of the 2023 BRICS Business Forum (full text)
Xinhua News Agency, Johannesburg, August 22nd
Deepen unity and cooperation to meet risk challenges
Build a better world together
— — Speech at the Closing Ceremony of the BRICS Business Forum in 2023
(August 22, 2023, Shanteng Convention Center, Johannesburg)
Chairman People’s Republic of China (PRC), Supreme Leader
Dear President Ramaphosa,
Dear business friends,
Ladies and gentlemen, friends,
Congratulations on the success of the BRICS Business Forum in South Africa!
Ten years ago, I and other BRICS leaders witnessed the birth of the BRICS Business Council in South Africa. In the past 10 years, Do not forget your initiative mind, the business community of BRICS countries, has seized the opportunity and deepened cooperation, which has made positive contributions to the economic and social development of BRICS countries and injected positive energy into the world economic growth.
At present, the changes of the world, times and history are unfolding in an unprecedented way, and human society has reached a critical juncture. Insist on cooperation and integration, or move towards division and confrontation? Is it to work together to maintain peace and stability, or to slide into the abyss of the "new cold war"? Is it to prosper in openness and tolerance, or to fall into depression in bullying? Is it to enhance mutual trust in communication and mutual learning, or to let arrogance and prejudice blind conscience? Where the pendulum of history goes depends on our choice.
"It’s easy to do things according to reason, but it’s hard to do things from time to time." In the past few decades, mankind has made remarkable achievements in economic development and social progress because it has learned the lessons of the two world wars and the Cold War, conformed to the historical trend of economic globalization, and opened up the right path of open development, cooperation and win-win. Today’s world is a community of destiny, with one glory and one loss. What people of all countries look forward to is not a "new cold war" or a "small circle", but a world of lasting peace and universal security, a world of common prosperity, openness, tolerance, cleanliness and beauty. This is the logic of historical progress and the trend of the times.
Ten years ago, I proposed to build a community of human destiny and urge all countries to build the earth where we live together into a harmonious family. Faced with the test of high winds, high waves and even stormy waves, all countries should uphold the correct world outlook, historical outlook and overall situation, and turn the concept of building a community of human destiny into action and vision into reality.
— — We should promote common development and prosperity. Most emerging market countries and developing countries have emerged from the historical quagmire of colonialism. We have gone through hardships and made great sacrifices, gained national independence, and constantly explored the development path in line with our own national conditions. Everything we do, in the final analysis, is to let the people live a happy life. However, some countries are not willing to lose their hegemonic position and arbitrarily contain and suppress emerging market countries and developing countries. Whoever develops well must be curbed; Whoever catches up will stumble. I have said many times that blowing out other people’s lights will not make you brighter.
Every country has the right to development, and people of all countries have the freedom to pursue a happy life. I put forward the global development initiative, which is to push the international community to take the road of common development and revitalize the United Nations sustainable development agenda in 2030. With the support of all countries, global development initiatives are getting deeper and deeper, and cooperation projects in various fields are flourishing. China is willing to work with other countries to accelerate initiative cooperation, strengthen global development momentum, comprehensively and deeply promote WTO reform, meet common challenges and enhance the well-being of people of all countries.
— — We should strive to achieve universal security. In recent years, the world is not peaceful, and many countries and regions have suffered from war and people have been displaced. The international community is eager to eliminate the root causes of conflicts and wars and find the fundamental strategy for long-term stability in the world. Facts show that expanding military alliances, expanding their spheres of influence and squeezing the security space of other countries will inevitably lead to security difficulties and insecurity for all countries. Only by adhering to the new security concept of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable can we embark on a road of universal security.
Last year, I proposed a global security initiative, which has won the support of more than 100 countries and international organizations. China is willing to work with all parties to promote global security initiatives to take root, adhere to dialogue without confrontation, partner without alliance, win-win instead of zero-sum, and work together to build a security community.
— — We should persist in civilized exchanges and mutual learning. A flower can’t dress up beautiful spring, but a hundred flowers can make the world full of spring scenery. Colorful is the essence of human civilization. It is precisely because countries have different histories, cultures and systems that they need to exchange and learn from each other, learn from each other’s strengths and make common progress. Deliberately clamoring for the so-called binary opposition between "democracy and authoritarianism" and "freedom and autocracy" can only lead to the division of the world and the clash of civilizations.
I put forward the global civilization initiative, emphasizing promoting the diversity of world civilizations, promoting the common values of all mankind, and strengthening humanities exchanges and cooperation. China welcomes all countries to actively participate in initiatives and cooperation, promote a hundred schools of thought of different civilizations to contend and let a hundred flowers blossom, break down communication barriers, and continue the fire of human civilization.
Ladies and gentlemen, friends!
"The changers are the nature of heaven and earth." In today’s era, the rise of emerging market countries and developing countries represented by BRICS countries is fundamentally changing the world map. Emerging market countries and developing countries have contributed as much as 80% to world economic growth in the past 20 years, and the global share of GDP has increased from 24% to over 40% in the past 40 years. "The castle peak can’t be covered, after all, it flows east." No matter how much resistance there is, the BRICS, a positive, stable and good-oriented force, will flourish. We will continue to deepen the BRICS strategic partnership, expand the "BRIC+"model, actively promote the expansion process, deepen solidarity and cooperation with other emerging market countries and developing countries, promote world multipolarization and democratization of international relations, and promote the development of the international order in a more just and rational direction. Today, the BRICS countries gather in South Africa with more than 50 countries, not to choose sides, not to engage in camp confrontation, but to create a big pattern of peaceful development. I am glad to see that more than 20 countries are knocking on the door of the BRICS. China sincerely welcomes everyone to join the BRICS cooperation mechanism!
Ladies and gentlemen, friends!
China firmly pursues an independent foreign policy of peace and is committed to building a community of human destiny. As a developing country and a member of the "global South", we have always shared the same fate with other developing countries, firmly safeguarded the common interests of developing countries, and promoted the representation and voice of emerging market countries and developing countries in global affairs. China doesn’t have the gene to dominate the country, and has no impulse to play games with big countries. It firmly stands on the right side of history and firmly adheres to the principle that "the trip to the main road is for the common good".
At present, the people of China are advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with Chinese modernization under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC). The main characteristics of Chinese modernization are huge population, common prosperity of all people, harmony between material civilization and spiritual civilization, harmonious coexistence between man and nature, and peaceful development. Chinese-style modernization has created a new form of human civilization and displayed a new prospect of modernization. It is hoped that the vast number of developing countries can proceed from their own national conditions and explore new ways to realize modernization on the basis of learning from the achievements of outstanding human civilization.
High-quality development is the primary task for China to build a modern country in an all-round way. We are committed to implementing the new development concept and building a new development pattern. In the past 10 years, China’s annual average contribution rate to world economic growth exceeded 30%. Since the beginning of this year, China’s economy has maintained a good trend of recovery. China has the institutional advantages of socialist market economy, the demand advantages of super-large-scale market, the supply advantages of complete industrial system, and the talent advantages of a large number of high-quality workers and entrepreneurs. China’s economy is strong in resilience, great in potential and full of vitality, and its long-term positive fundamentals will not change. China’s economic ship will continue to move forward through the wind and waves.
China will always be an important opportunity for world development. We open our doors to anyone who will cooperate with us. As a super-large-scale economy, China will firmly promote high-level opening, expand market access, reduce the negative list of foreign investment access, and improve the opening level of modern service industry. We will continue to optimize the business environment, implement the national treatment of foreign-funded enterprises, create a market-oriented, rule-of-law and international first-class business environment, and build a global high-standard free trade zone network. We will continue to promote the construction of ecological civilization, accelerate the construction of a beautiful China, actively and steadily promote carbon neutrality in peak carbon dioxide emissions, and promote a comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development. Looking into the future, with the overall modernization of China’s population of more than 1.4 billion, China will surely make greater contributions to the world economy and provide more space for the industrial and commercial circles of all countries.
Ladies and gentlemen, friends!
Only it is arduous, so it is great; Only it is arduous and more glorious. As long as we unite as one and strengthen cooperation, we will not be afraid of any risks and challenges on the road ahead, and we will certainly push the giant ship of human development to a brighter future!
Thank you all.