Addressing the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on Sunday, Chinese President Xi Jinping rejected the principle of “might makes right”, stating that it “should have been discarded long ago” and calling for a global order underpinned by equal rules free of double standards.
Delivered against the backdrop of friction between the United States and several nations regarding trade policies and international affairs, President Xi observed that the Global South is emerging as a key driver of a multipolar world, reports India Today.
Comparing a lawless international environment to a crossroads without traffic lights where chaos and disorder are guaranteed, the Chinese leader maintained that global rules must be written collectively by all nations.
He called upon Global South states to jointly defend the rule of law in international affairs, stressing core principles such as sovereign equality, non-interference in internal affairs, and the peaceful settlement of disputes.
Asserting that all countries, regardless of size, power, or wealth, are equal members of the international community, President Xi urged greater representation and participation of developing nations in global bodies.
He called on BRICS nations to preserve the authority of the United Nations and push for structural reforms to multilateral institutions, including the World Trade Organization and the international financial architecture.
Turning to technological developments, President Xi proposed a global governance framework for artificial intelligence, urging consensus on rules for the rapidly evolving technology.
Stating that AI should be developed “for the positive and for good” to ensure shared prosperity, he announced that China would support the creation of a BRICS AI open-source community to foster cooperation in large language models, alongside AI seminars and training programmes.
Highlighting economic ties, President Xi advocated stronger BRICS economic cooperation to safeguard stable industrial and supply chains and foster a larger integrated market across emerging economies and Global South countries.
He affirmed that China would continue expanding its opening up and promoting initiatives for development cooperation.
Concluding his address, he urged BRICS members to serve as an “active, stabilizing and positive force” in international relations, noting that greater unity among Global South nations could help build a more equitable global order.
