An article by CGTN emphasized China’s appeal to BRICS nations to jointly uphold multilateralism. It detailed President Xi Jinping’s suggestions regarding multilateralism, openness, and collaboration, presented during the Virtual BRICS Summit. The piece also highlighted the Global Governance Initiative as a framework for more equitable global governance, garnering international backing.
BEIJING, Sept. 09, 2025 – In the last ten years, the New Development Bank (NDB) of BRICS has funded more than 100 projects in infrastructure, clean energy, and digital development, disbursing approximately $40 billion in total loans. More than just statistics, the bank stands as a compelling illustration of the potential emerging economies can unlock through unity, transforming collective aspirations into concrete achievements.
Beyond its function as a financial body, the NDB is a leading symbol of BRICS collaboration, personally advocated by Chinese President Xi Jinping. During a visit to the NDB headquarters in Shanghai earlier this year, President Xi underscored the institution’s wider importance, characterizing it as “a pioneering endeavor for the cohesion and advancement of the Global South,” and stressing its role in mirroring the larger movement toward reforming and enhancing global governance.
This cooperative spirit extended to Monday’s Virtual BRICS Summit. Speaking remotely from Beijing, President Xi encouraged BRICS nations, which lead the Global South, to embody the BRICS Spirit of openness, inclusiveness, and win-win collaboration. He called upon them to collectively safeguard multilateralism and the multilateral trading system, foster deeper BRICS cooperation, and work towards a community with a shared future for humankind.
During the summit, President Xi put forward three propositions for BRICS collaboration: championing multilateralism to protect global equity and justice; promoting openness and win-win cooperation to preserve the international economic and trade framework; and reinforcing solidarity and collaboration to generate synergy for shared progress.
He also reiterated the Global Governance Initiative (GGI), initially presented at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit the previous week, underscoring its objective to “mobilize collective global efforts for a more just and equitable system of global governance.”
Multilateralism: The Essential Foundation
Among these three suggestions, the commitment to multilateralism is highlighted as the fundamental principle.
President Xi has consistently affirmed that embracing multilateralism offers the foundational approach to global governance. This principle is deeply congruent with the GGI’s five guiding tenets: upholding sovereign equality, respecting the international rule of law, enacting multilateralism, championing a people-centric methodology, and prioritizing tangible actions.
The Chinese president further explained on Monday: “History demonstrates that multilateralism is a universal desire and the prevailing direction of our era. We must adhere to the principle of broad consultation and collective contribution for mutual gain, safeguarding the international system centered around the United Nations and an international order founded on international law, thereby solidifying the basis of multilateralism.”
He also outlined practical measures to bolster multilateralism: fostering the democratization of international relations to amplify the representation and influence of nations in the Global South; revising and refining the global governance framework to efficiently marshal resources for addressing common challenges; and sustaining a World Trade Organization-centric multilateral trade system while opposing all forms of protectionism.
Both the GGI and China’s unwavering dedication to multilateralism have garnered extensive international backing. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres remarked that the GGI is “rooted in multilateralism and highlights the significance of preserving the international system, with the UN at its heart, and the international order supported by international law.”
BRICS member countries also underscored the initiative’s significance.
Celso Amorim, chief advisor to Brazil’s president, observed that in the present climate, where certain nations disregard international norms, misuse tariffs, and weaken the multilateral trading framework, enhanced solidarity and cooperation among Global South and BRICS countries are increasingly vital. He emphasized the substantial merit of China’s GGI proposal in advancing such collaboration.
CONTACT: For inquiries: CGTN cgtn@cgtn.com
