Xu Lin, deputy head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee and minister of the State Council Information Office of China, hosts the opening ceremony of the BRICS Seminar on Governance & Cultural Exchange Forum 2020 in Beijing on December 3. Photo by Deng Di
On December 3, the BRICS Seminar on Governance & Cultural Exchange Forum 2020 kicked off in Beijing. Xu Lin, deputy head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee and minister of the State Council Information Office of China hosted the opening ceremony.
Huang Kunming, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee gave a keynote speech via video link.
In his speech, Huang noted that this seminar is a concrete measure to implement the initiatives proposed by President Xi Jinping at the 12th BRICS Summit held on November 17 through video link. Huang also encouraged participants to take the opportunity of the forum to exchange thoughts and ideas on governance, in a bid to deepen people-to-people exchanges, consolidate the BRICS partnership, and build a community with a shared future for mankind.
Huang indicated that the fifth plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee drew up a blueprint for China’s development over the next five years and even till 2035. At the new stage of development, China will deepen reform and open wider to the outside world while building a new pattern of development; it will always put its people first, and is fully confident in creating new miracles during the modernization drive. He called on all parties to work together in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and seek common development, especially in fields of national governance, culture, sports, art, film, and development of young people.
Ivan Melnikov, first Deputy Chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation and Vice-Chairman of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation also delivered a keynote speech via video link, in which he stressed the importance of cooperation in response to world-wide threats for the benefit of the people and the urgency for BRICS countries to jointly deal with COVID-19.
Sergei Ryabkov, deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and Russia’s BRICS Sherpa, stressed at the ceremony the importance of commercial cooperation between BRICS countries against the background of COVID-19.
Zhang Hanhui, Chinese ambassador to Russia, expressed how he believed this seminar would provide strong intellectual support for deepening BRICS partnership, and therefore promote strong economic recovery during the post-epidemic era.
Celso Amorim, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brazil, stressed the fruitful results which people-to-people exchanges had made in enhancing mutual understanding.
Ash Narain Roy, director of Institute of Social Sciences, India, believed that multilateralism was the only medium through which slowing global economic growth, recurring global financial crises and growing inequality could be addressed.
Richard Levin, special Master of Labor Tenants, Land Claims Court of South Africa, noted that deepening partnerships to promote innovative development through strengthened multilateral governance was the key to solve the current global problems.
The two-day long BRICS Seminar on Governance includes three parallel sessions which cover the themes of upholding multilateralism to maintain global stability, putting people first to address risks and challenges, and promoting innovative development to boost economic recovery. The two-day BRICS Forum on People-to-People and Cultural Exchanges 2020 also hosts three sessions respectively on the themes of exchanges and mutual learning, expanding common grounds, and creating more opportunities for cultural exchanges.
The seminar is co-hosted by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, China International Publishing Group, Guangming Daily, Rossiyskaya Gazeta, and Russia-China Friendship Association. More than 150 delegates, including political leaders, heads of think tanks and research institutions, and representatives from the cultural and business circles of the BRICS countries attended the meeting via video link.
