The 14th BRICS Summit, to be held in China this year, is expected to send a clear signal of solidarity and cooperation among the trade bloc's member states and to put forth BRICS' solutions to major regional and international issues, a senior Chinese diplomat said.

Ma Zhaoxu, coordinator of China's BRICS Affairs and vice-foreign minister made the remark on Jan 18 while hosting a two-day BRICS Sherpas meeting via video link.

The meeting, which concluded on Jan 19, was the first official event held by China after assuming the rotating chair of the bloc on Jan 1.

BRICS stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Hailing BRICS as a key platform for mutually beneficial cooperation among the five countries, Ma said, "It has become a progressive force in facilitating changes in international order, improving global governance and promoting common development."

Amid the current complex and bleak environment, with a raging pandemic, headwinds against globalization and a widening North-South divide, Ma said, BRICS countries bear special responsibility to maintain the shared interests and room for development space for emerging economies and developing countries.

Ma said that apart from the Leaders' Summit, over 100 meetings at various levels and events covering more than 30 fields would be organized throughout the year to maintain the momentum of BRICS cooperation.

Commenting that BRICS cooperation is action-oriented and not a "talking shop", Ma said China would put forward a series of substantial cooperation initiatives and build outcomes along the lines of multilateralism, pandemic response and economic recovery.

He put development at the top of the 2022 BRICS agenda, emphasizing that it was the biggest highlight of the meetings that came amid severe impacts on economic and social development in developing countries due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

He called on the five countries to strengthen strategic communication by fully leveraging various mechanisms.

"We will focus on the common interests of emerging markets and developing countries, gather strong synergy to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and bring tangible benefits to the people of the five countries and the world," he said.

Sherpas from other member countries at the meeting agreed with China's vision and expressed the willingness to fully support China's work and actively participate in BRICS cooperation in various fields.

Sanjay Bhattacharyya, secretary of India's Ministry of External Affairs, thanked China for "putting in a lot of hard work and meticulous preparation in sharing the comprehensive concept note and the calendar of events".

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said BRICS should strengthen communication with regional organizations, emerging markets and developing countries and that he hoped the bloc would have a strong voice at multilateral forums and on issues regarding making a better world based on international law.