CHINESE President Xi Jinping has called on the Brics countries to jointly defend multilateralism and the multilateral trading system and also to advance greater co-operation.

Mr Xi made his remarks during a virtual Brics summit in Beijing on Monday, amid a tariff war unleashed by the United States that has undermined international trade rules.

The Chinese president was joined online by leaders including Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Russian President Vladimir Putin and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, as well as leaders from Egypt, Iran, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates and representatives of India and Ethiopia.

Mr Xi said Brics was at the forefront of the global South amid “rampant hegemonism, unilateralism and protectionism,” as he invoked what he described as “the Brics spirit of openness, inclusiveness and win-win co-operation.

“History tells us that multilateralism is the shared aspiration of the people and the overarching trend of our times. It provides an important underpinning for world peace and development,” he said.

The Chinese president said China’s Global Governance Initiative was aimed at galvanising joint global action for a more just and equitable global governance system.

“We should follow the principle of extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefit and safeguard the international system with the United Nations at its core and the international order based on international law, so as to cement the foundations of multilateralism,” he argued.

“We should improve the global governance system through reform so as to fully mobilise resources from all quarters and tackle more effectively the common challenges for humanity.”

The Chinese leader went on to insist that “no matter how the international landscape may evolve, we must stay committed to building an open global economy, so as to share opportunities and achieve win-win outcomes in openness.” 

He said: “The more closely we work together, the more resilient, resourceful and effective we are in addressing external risks and challenges.”