PRESS RELEASE
BRICS under China’s Chairmanship Has Reached the ‘Second Golden Decade,’ Says Ryabkov
Aug. 24, 2017 (EIRNS)—In an interview with Xinhua on Aug. 22, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said the BRICS mechanism under China’s chairmanship this year has entered the second golden decade, following a decade of prosperity.
"We do not see a deceleration in BRICS development nor a fading interest of any partner in this format. We note with great satisfaction that BRICS continues to consolidate and be approved in the international arena and it has become an indispensable factor in influencing international affairs,"
he told Xinhua. Ryabkov’s remarks pertain to the upcoming summit in China’s southeastern coastal city of Xiamen on Sept 3-5 where leaders of the five BRICS countries—Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—will meet.
Similar views were expressed by David Thomas, chief executive officer of Think Global, a Sydney-based consultant firm, who spoke exclusively to Xinhua today saying the BRICS nations are "stepping into the vacuum of global leadership" that has been created by the withdrawal of the countries, particularly those in the West, previously associated with worldwide leadership. Another observer, David Gosset, founder of the Europe-China Forum and the New Silk Road Initiative, told Xinhua during an interview that
"within less than a decade, the BRICS Summit has evolved into an impactful forum whose importance is proportionate with the growing economic and political weight of its members."
He noted that the Xiamen Summit
"will send a strong signal to the world of the growing significance of developing countries, and that globalizing forces have shifted from western countries to emerging economies,"
Xinhua reported today.
Meanwhile, reports from New Delhi indicate that a team has been sent to Xiamen to arrange meetings—on the sidelines of the BRICS summit—for the Indian premier Narendra Modi with leaders from across South East and Central Asia, Africa, and North America, who will be attending the summit. There had been some uncertainty as to whether or not Modi would participate in the BRICS summit, in light of unresolved tensions with host China, and Modi’s decision earlier this year to boycott the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing.
China has invited leaders of Thailand, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Egypt, Guinea (African Union chair) and Mexico as part of BRICS outreach. There are reports that leaders of Tajikistan and Philippines could also be part of this outreach exercise, The Economic Times reported.
![clear](../../graphics/display/r-1x16000-clear.gif)
![clear](../../graphics/display/r-1x16000-clear.gif)