BEIJING, Aug. 24 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday that BRICS is an important force in shaping the international landscape.

"We choose our development paths independently, jointly defend our right to development and march in tandem toward modernization," Xi said while addressing the 15th BRICS Summit held in Johannesburg, South Africa.

This represents the direction of the advancement of human society, and will profoundly impact the development process of the world, said the Chinese president.

DEEPEN BRICS COOPERATION

Twenty-two years ago, British economist Jim O'Neill coined the term "BRIC" -- an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India and China. With South Africa officially joining in 2011, the group was enlarged to BRICS, now representing about a quarter of the global gross domestic product and some 40 percent of the world's population.

BRICS' track record shows that the members have consistently acted in a spirit of openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation and taken BRICS collaboration to new heights in support of the five countries' development, Xi said.

Through joint efforts, BRICS has grown into the most influential South-South cooperation platform and a crucial driver for global growth defined by three main pillars: political and security cooperation, economic and finance cooperation, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

No matter how the international situation changes, BRICS' commitment to cooperation since the very beginning and the common aspiration will not change, Xi added.

Xi also noted that BRICS countries gather at a crucial time to build on their past achievements and open up a new future for BRICS cooperation.

The global economic recovery remains shaky, and challenges for developing countries are even more formidable, hampering their efforts to realize the Sustainable Development Goals, he said.

"Development is an inalienable right of all countries, not a privilege reserved for a few," Xi said.

BRICS countries should focus on practical cooperation, particularly in such fields as the digital economy, green development and supply chains, and bolster economic, trade and financial exchanges, Xi said.

Noting that artificial intelligence (AI) is a new area of development, bringing substantial development dividends but also risks and challenges, Xi said the BRICS countries have agreed to launch the AI Study Group at an early date.

"President Xi's speech shows that China has always adhered to the BRICS spirit of openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation, and China has made firm efforts to achieve common development," said Amadou Diop, a Senegalese expert on China.

IMPROVE GLOBAL GOVERNANCE

Xi urged BRICS countries to uphold fairness and justice and improve global governance.

Xi said strengthening global governance is the right choice if the international community intends to share development opportunities and tackle global challenges.

International rules must be written and upheld jointly by all countries based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter rather than dictated by those with the strongest muscles or the loudest voice, he said.

Xi's remarks were echoed by other BRICS leaders, who support improving global governance and upholding multilateralism.

Addressing the summit, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said new realities call for a fundamental reform of global governance institutions to be more representative and responsive to challenges.

"We are all unanimously in favor of the formation of a multipolar world order that is truly just and based on international law," Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the summit in a virtual address.

The future-oriented strategic course of BRICS meets the aspirations of the global majority, Putin said, adding that the BRICS group is tackling some of the most pressing global and regional issues.

"Many countries in the Global South have sought to come together in order to work towards a more just and inclusive world order ... BRICS inspires many countries to come together again to advance this vision," said Kenneth Creamer, a senior lecturer at the University of the Witwatersrand.

For Ana Elisa Saggioro Garcia, general coordinator and researcher at the BRICS Policy Center, the group has a global role in balancing international relations and building consensus.

To reform the multilateral institutions that exist today is what BRICS countries need to achieve "more of a voice," she said.

SHARE CHINA OPPORTUNITIES

In a speech read out by Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao at the BRICS Business Forum 2023 on Tuesday, Xi said China will remain an important opportunity for the world's development, stressing China's firm resolution in advancing high-standard opening-up, fostering a world-class, market-oriented business environment governed by a sound legal framework, and building a globally-oriented network of high-standard free trade areas.

On the summit's sidelines, Xi met with several leaders of participating countries, reaffirming China's commitment to sharing its development opportunities with others and supporting their economic and social development.

Meeting with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Wednesday, Xi said that China is advancing Chinese modernization with its high-quality development, which will bring new opportunities for cooperation between China and Ethiopia.

China encourages more Chinese enterprises to invest and start their businesses in Ethiopia, welcoming the use by Ethiopia of the "green channel" for the entry of African agricultural products to China to expand bilateral economic and trade cooperation, said Xi.

In a meeting on Wednesday with Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, Xi said China will try its best to support Cuba's economic and social development.

China is willing to work with Cuba and other members of the Group of 77 to better safeguard the common interests and development rights of developing countries, Xi said. As the current chair of the Group of 77 and China, he said Cuba has positively contributed to strengthening the unity of developing countries.

For his part, Diaz-Canel said Cuba is ready to work with China to deepen Belt and Road cooperation, build a Cuba-China community with a shared future and advance on paths of socialism based on their respective characteristics.

Xi also called for stronger personnel exchanges as well as deeper cultural and people-to-people bonds with Bangladesh, when he met with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday.

Hasina congratulated Xi on the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, noting Belt and Road cooperation has opened a new door of development for Bangladesh.

Meeting with Senegalese President Macky Sall on Wednesday, Xi said China supports the African Union in joining the Group of 20 and is ready to share its development experience and opportunities with African nations.

"China's share of the global economy is crucial. By pursuing internal reforms and speeding up the opening up of its domestic market to foreign companies, China is offering opportunities to the rest of the world," said Lyazid Benhami, vice president of the Paris Association of French-Chinese Friendship.

"By investing in emerging countries, it is increasing the attractiveness and economic stability of countries that want to develop sustainably," said Benhami.