Xi urges solidarity amid virus

Calling for promoting the practice of true multilateralism, Xi urged BRICS countries to consolidate their strategic partnership, support each other on issues concerning their respective core interests, and jointly safeguard their sovereignty, security and development interests.

"We need to make good use of BRICS mechanisms, such as the meeting of foreign ministers and the meeting of high representatives for security, better coordinate our position on major international and regional issues, and to send out an even bigger, collective voice of BRICS countries," he said.

Xi also called for strengthening people-to-people exchanges among the five countries, saying that China will hold a series of activities for this purpose.

Next year, China will host the 14th BRICS Summit and the country looks forward to working with its BRICS partners to comprehensively deepen cooperation in various fields and build an even closer and more pragmatic partnership to cope with common challenges, Xi said.

The summit adopted a declaration, in which the five countries reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing intra-BRICS cooperation based on political and security exchanges, economic and financial exchanges, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

Leaders of the BRICS countries vowed to oppose unilateralism and hegemony as well as politicizing the tracing of the origins of the pandemic, and they reiterated their commitment to strengthening communication and coordination on major international and regional issues, jointly coping with climate change and building a community with a shared future for mankind.

They also expressed their support for China in hosting the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics.