Yangzhou, a historical Chinese city located in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, is one of the country's most popular spring travel destinations, renowned for its romantic combination of classical Chinese gardens and traditional architecture. On March 30-31, the BRICS Seminar on Governance and Cultural Exchange Forum took place in this city in Jiangsu Province, gathering more than 200 participants from the group of the world's five leading emerging economies, i.e., Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

This peaceful setting perhaps even amplified participants' sense of current global turbulence due to the disparity between the West and East, North and South.

"The old world order dominated by the West, and the United States in particular, is crumbling. But the new world order is yet to be born," Sudheendra Kulkarni, an Indian scholar and aide to the country's former Prime Minister Atal Vajpayee, said in his remarks at the forum's opening ceremony on March 30.

"It is in this transitional period of turbulence, turmoil and uncertainty that we need multilateral forums like the BRICS group to raise the voice of all those people in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and even of the peace-loving people in the West itself, to come together and support the cause of a new world order based on peace, equitable development plus global security for all," Kulkarni said.

The greater good 

Participants agreed that BRICS should enhance its comprehensive synergy not only for each member's own benefit but for the common, greater good of the world at large.

"The partnership is more than government-to-government relations," Anil Sooklal, the Ambassador-at-Large for Asia and BRICS at South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation, said via video link. It covers all aspects, ranging from gender equality, youth empowerment, media and law, to culture, sports and the arts.

Sooklal pointed out that some global observers "speak of our different histories, cultures, religions, development patterns and forms of governance as something negative. However, the uniqueness of BRICS, precisely that diversity, brings us together as a powerful global force. It brings us together for work, intended incorporation, not only for our own benefits but for those of the global community."

"The day BRICS was born, developed countries never wanted it to happen. They never believe in BRICS. [This is] the same for China," guest speaker Mohammad Saqib, Secretary General of the India China Economic and Cultural Council, told Beijing Review.

"They say, 'these are five countries with different political systems, different backgrounds and they are bound to fail.' But, in fact, they are very scared of it," Saqib said. He further added his belief that BRICS is the only organization today that can challenge the Western hegemony, the dominance of Western powers on the international level, as well as the only organization with the potential to bring in a new world order that is more equal, better distributed and more inclusive.

"It is only natural and, of course, expected that there will be some 'imbalances,' both politically and economically, when it comes to the BRICS platform, given the different realities, trajectories, and experiences of the members. Nonetheless, this should not be seen as an issue, but as an opportunity," Pedro Steenhagen, senior specialist at Observe China, an independent think tank based in Brazil, told Beijing Review.

Kulkarni also mentioned that the combined GDP of the BRICS group has already overtaken that of the Group of 7 (G7), meaning the latter, led by the U.S., is no longer able to dominate the world economy. It is now in the interest of people capable of global cooperation to strengthen this solidarity. "And this is what BRICS stands for," Kulkarni said.

"In modern world history, Western countries first accomplished modernization by industrialization. Their approaches, however, are not readily available to developing countries," Du Zhanyuan, President of China International Communications Group (CICG), said at the forum.

"Since its founding in 2006, the BRICS group's share of the global economy has increased from 10 to 25 percent as a significant force in the international community given the fact they have each followed a development path suited to their own national conditions. This could serve as an example for more developing countries," Du said.

"Each nation has its own strengths and each has also faced its own domestic and international battles throughout the years. In this context, it is possible to say that, during its first decade of existence, the BRICS group brought a lot of excitement and showed tremendous development potential, especially in the eyes of the Global South," Steenhagen said, adding China has become the most reliable and stable partner within the group.

When talking about bringing countries together, many attendees spoke highly of China's role in brokering a peace agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran in early March, leading the two countries to resume diplomatic relations. "BRICS, therefore, has to show more such examples of dispute resolution, of conflict resolution, which will raise the reputation of BRICS countries," Kulkarni said.

The seminar also distributed a report entitled Global Survey: BRICS Cooperation in the New Era of Global Development 2022, based on a survey conducted by the Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies, a CICG affiliate, from May to October 2022. Involving people aged 18 and above holding at least a bachelor's degree in Asia, Europe, the Americas, Africa and Oceania, it focused on the global perception of the effectiveness of BRICS cooperation as well as the group's contributions to global development.

Results showed that an average of 81.9 percent of respondents from the 25 surveyed countries were positive about the national governance capacity of BRICS countries, believing these countries enjoy orderliness and stability and are well-positioned to promote global development. Respondents from BRICS countries and other developing countries were generally more positive than those from developed countries. The report further indicated that, compared to developed and other developing countries, respondents from BRICS countries were more likely to reach a consensus should conflict arise.

The tech impetus 

Most forum panelists shared their concerns about the global economic downturn and called for enhanced coordination within the BRICS mechanism.

"Economic momentum is declining, the debt of countries is accumulating and the international trade, finance and sci-tech innovation network is fragmented," Zhou Qiangwu, Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB), said at the seminar's opening ceremony. "At the same time, the efficiency and effectiveness of the Group of 20 (G20) and other international macro policy coordination mechanisms are greatly reduced. What's more, some developed countries have tightened their monetary policies at an unprecedented rate recently, which has had a strong impact on several global financial institutions. The financial turbulence they have created is still accelerating, bringing serious spillover effects to developing countries."

In Zhou's opinion, multilateral organizations should take on more responsibilities, particularly for the benefit of developing countries. He suggested BRICS countries deepen their cooperation in sci-tech innovation, which in turn can "drive progress and shape the future."

One of the projects the NDB has joined is the BRICS Partnership on New Industrial Revolution Innovation Center which was launched in the Chinese city of Xiamen in Fujian Province in December 2020, set to help BRICS countries pool ideas on how to best apply new technologies, facilitate trade, investment and cultural exchanges and continuously enhance the momentum of BRICS cooperation. In the past two years, the center has published 100 key to-do lists and launched more than 100 projects, which in turn have spurred exchanges within the mechanism.

"When we look at the documental analysis of the BRICS declarations and other documents on cooperation in science and technology, we see a clear path of evolution. Governance for the partnership and areas of interest was established. Many proposals by either individuals or the five countries together have already become reality," João Cumarú, a researcher with Brazilian think tank Plataforma Cipó, said. Cumarú has conducted extensive research on the energy sector and the intersections of technological innovation in the energy transition process, especially in Brazil.

He shared his research at a sideline forum on building momentum for global development through technological innovation and transformation, explaining how emerging countries have been gaining ground in the field. China led the world in international patent application volume in 2022 and ranked third in filing international trademark applications, according to the latest statistics from the World Intellectual Property Organization. India, then, saw sharp growth in patent filings. "Brazil is the nation with the most patent registrations in the Latin American and Caribbean region," Cumarú noted.

Panelists further proposed to establish shared platforms in financial and healthcare services, such as a coordinated payment mechanism.

"It is important to remember that the recovery of the world economy is encountering difficulties, and global development is suffering a major setback. We cannot fail to reinforce the themes of climate action and sustainability—in addition to their intersection with the fight against poverty and the eradication of hunger—as priority themes for BRICS," Cumarú concluded. 

(Reporting from Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province)

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon 

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