The pace of the 14th BRICS Leaders' Meeting is progressing gradually, and the international community is eagerly looking forward to this meeting to inject more BRICS strength into global development. Ali al-Zahiri, UAE Ambassador to China, said in a recent interview with the "I Am Ambassador in China" column that the BRICS cooperation platform is a key mechanism for cooperation between emerging markets and developing countries, as well as an important platform for South-South cooperation. . "In such a challenging time, we need more mechanisms like the BRICS cooperation to create a fairer and more dynamic world for all."

In 2022, the BRICS mechanism will enter the "Year of China". Zahiri said that as the world continues to undergo major changes, coupled with the impact of the new crown epidemic, the international situation is evolving at an increasingly fast pace. The widening gap between the rich and the poor has also made the global economic recovery more fragile. The theme for 2022 is "Building High-Quality Partnerships to Create a New Era of Global Development", which shows China's efforts to focus on finding a solution for common global development.

China offers opportunities to the world

Zahiri said that as an economy and a major country with global influence, China has continuously made positive contributions to promoting global development and maintaining world peace. China is also the largest economy among the BRICS countries and a major importer and exporter of goods. China has already played a key role in enhancing the influence of the BRICS platform and deepening cooperation among members and with other countries.

Five years ago, China proposed the "BRICS+" cooperation model, allowing more countries to catch up on the express train of development. Zahiri said that the BRICS countries account for more than 40% of the world's total population, about 25% of the world's total economic volume, and about 18% of the world's total trade volume. In recent years, they have contributed 50% of the world's economic growth. The BRICS mechanism provides developing countries with an opportunity to deepen their partnership with influential economies such as China, and is conducive to achieving fairer global economic governance. At the same time, the BRICS countries have cooperated in poverty reduction, food security, anti-epidemic cooperation, vaccination, development financing, climate change, green development, digital economy, connectivity and many other fields, which also meet the needs of developing countries. Zahiri noted that poverty reduction and food security are important topics for the BRICS "China Year" in 2022, which shows that the BRICS countries are working hard to solve the common challenges faced by most developing countries.

"Cooperation is the best way to avoid deep crises and promote economic development." Zahiri said that the UAE attaches great importance to deepening cooperation with BRICS countries. In September 2021, the UAE became a member of the BRICS New Development Bank, the first country in the Middle East to join the institution. This provides the UAE with a platform to promote deeper cooperation with key emerging economies in the areas of infrastructure and sustainable development. Since joining the NDB, the UAE has been committed to strengthening cooperation with member countries and continuing to support development projects in emerging economies around the world.

"The UAE is a beneficiary of the rise of China and other emerging markets." Zahiri said that in recent decades, the UAE and China have made remarkable achievements in their respective economic transformation and long-term economic growth. The economy is transformed into a knowledge-based innovation society. Through South-South cooperation platforms such as the BRICS mechanism, the UAE looks forward to further deepening cooperation with fast-growing emerging markets and developing countries.Editor/XuNing