Voice of BRICS joins chorus for Gaza peace

The BRICS grouping held an online extraordinary joint meeting on the Palestine-Israel conflict on Nov 21, and although the member countries have subtle differences in their points of view, they issued a joint declaration condemning all kinds of attacks on civilians.

They also called for an immediate and comprehensive cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and for avoiding further spillover of the crisis, and demanded an end to the Palestine-Israel crisis on the basis of a two-state solution.

Since the end of World War II, the so-called international community and mainstream media have been deciding what is right and what is not right for the world. The narrative for all kinds of situations has always been set by a few Western countries. As a result, the world has not become stable, peaceful or prosperous. On the contrary, the international situation has worsened, becoming more turbulent and seeing more conflicts and wars, while unsettling the global economy, too.

The world now faces crises in Ukraine and Gaza. Why have these things come to pass, and in which direction should the world go? The world has been forced to think deeper, exposing the contradictory double standards of some, and showing how easily fake news can spread.

Because of decentralization in the internet era, some countries have stopped dominating the discourse and the world is moving toward a new era of introspection.

It was against this backdrop that South Africa, which holds the rotating presidency of BRICS, organized this first online extraordinary joint meeting on the situation in Gaza. The voice of BRICS on the Gaza situation demonstrated that the developing Global South can make its own decisions on the basis of its understanding of events. The world has woken up to the reality that besides the G7 and the European Union, there is yet another voice in this world, which is the "voice of BRICS".

The special online meeting on the Palestine-Israel conflict by the leaders of the BRICS members and invited leaders sent a clear and loud message that was different from that of the so-called traditional international community, but on behalf of a majority of developing countries.

The meeting showed that after its expansion, the BRICS mechanism can respond more actively to regional and international issues, and its role and influence in global governance have been further enhanced.

If the BRICS mechanism had limited influence in its early days, today's BRICS cannot be ignored. After all, it now represents voices across continents seeking fairness and justice, and the proposition of peace and security that it upholds cannot be ignored by the world. Concerns about war, security, terrorist attacks, separatism, extremism and other issues top the agenda of BRICS members. The yearning for peace and development is far more urgent and direct in the Global South than in developed countries.

In the context of weak global economic growth, BRICS countries have become an important force in leading the world economy out of trouble. The size of the economy of BRICS members exceeds that of the G7, and the emerging economies that have contributed more than 50 percent to global economic growth in the past 10 years have different ideas from the West on how the global economy can get out of trouble. The rapid development of China, India and other BRICS members proves that this proposition works.

BRICS members have made the world different, bringing more choices and a beam of light amid the gloom. They have truly become an important voice calling for world peace and security. The online meeting was a good start to "BRICS cooperation", with the group's membership set to increase on Jan 1 with the addition of six more members.

The online extraordinary joint meeting was just the beginning. As more members join the group, it will make the BRICS countries' voices louder, and that will increase its influence in the world. Thanks to the joint efforts of BRICS members, a multipolar world is emerging.

The strategic goal of BRICS is not to compete with the West, but the voices of the BRICS countries during the online meeting clearly pointed out that the current international order has a certain irrationality to it. The countries of the Global South are striving to present a joint voice and to have a greater say and influence in international affairs.

China has ties with both Palestine and Israel. In particular, China has gained the trust of Arab and Islamic countries, including Palestine.

Focusing on the long-term peace, stability and development of the region and the whole world, China has successfully mediated between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Therefore, China's words are gaining more weight internationally.

The Global North is staring at a long winter, but the ice is full of cracks. As more countries join BRICS, the voice of BRICS will get louder, bringing spring sooner rather than later.

The author is deputy secretary-general of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Center for One Belt One Road.