The summit of the BRICS group consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa was marked by the polarization between the West and the East, triggered by Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Speaking at the opening of the summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping stated that “unilateral sanctions and the efforts of some countries to maintain their political and military power” should be opposed in the world, and by using their economic influence in the world, BRICS countries “to take responsibility, to seek equality, justice and a truly multilateral international system”. called to work.
“Sanctions can turn into boomerangs”
In his speech, Xi Jinping called on countries to “reject the Cold War mentality, unilateral sanctions and abuse of sanctions,” as quoted by the official Chinese news agency, Xinhua. The Chinese leader warned that global economic trends and the “politicization, mechanism and weaponization” of financial flows could turn the sanctions into a “boomeranga”, a “double-edged sword”.
In his statement yesterday, Xi criticized the policies of the West and NATO, saying that “states blindly believing in their power, expanding military alliances and trying to ensure their own security at the expense of others will get them in trouble.” Xi said that the international community should be united in resisting hegemony and power-oriented policies.
Western countries led by the US had imposed harsh sanctions against Moscow after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
The search for balance to the US-led order
The BRICS summit, which has been held annually since 2009, was planned to be hosted by China this year. Due to the strict pandemic restrictions in China, the summit was held by teleconference.
BRICS members had avoided taking a hard line on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine from the very beginning. China, which avoided using the word “occupation” regarding Russia’s attack on Ukraine from the very beginning, criticized the sanctions against Moscow at every opportunity, while South Africa abstained from the UN’s decision to condemn Russia. India also buys large quantities of oil from Russia at discounted prices.
China sees the BRICS group as an alliance that will create a counterbalance to the US-led order in the world.
Putin accuses the West of “selfishness”
Speaking at the summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin also blamed the West and urged the participating countries to cooperate against “the West’s selfish actions”. “Only on the basis of honest and mutually beneficial cooperation can we find a way out of the crisis that has developed due to the ill-conceived and selfish actions of some countries in the global economy,” said Putin.
Emphasizing the need for the leadership of the BRICS countries in “creating a unifying and positive route in order to establish a truly multilateral system in intergovernmental relations,” Putin said that “many countries from Asia, Africa and Latin America, which are trying to pursue independent policies, are ready to support.”
In the joint statement published on the Kremlin’s website after the summit, it was emphasized that the BRICS countries support the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
AFP,rtr,dpa/BK,TY