On February 26th, 2018, the event “A Conversation with BRICS Consulates – From Xiamen to Johannesburg: The Role of BRICS in Global Governance” was held at Trinity College at the University of Toronto. It was sponsored by the Asian Institute, Contemporary Asian Studies Student Union (CASSU) and BRICS Research Group. The speakers attending were Chinese consul He Wei, Brazilian consul Adenar Cruz, Russian consul Kirill Mikhaylov, Indian consul Dinesh Bhatia, and South African consul Nayameko Goso.
BRICS is an association composed of five countries, China, Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa. Members have had a summit every year since 2009 to discuss their countries’ roles in international relations. The last summit was held in China last year. In this event, countries’ consuls presented their countries’ goals for the improvement of global issues.
Mr. Wei pointed out three features of activities of BRICS. The first is the prevalence of BRICS’ countries’ populations. For example, the total population of BRICS is 50 percent of the world population and 26 percent of the total area of continents. Because of this, BRCIS has established cooperation systems in many areas like the economy, finance, agriculture and culture. However, not only leading to a positive influence inside the strong connections of the five countries, they also share the same values to solve the challenge of globalization.
Regarding the next summit to be held this summer, Mr. Wei emphasized five terms: innovation, opening up, development, connectivity and reformation. Based on these principles, BRICS plans to promote sustainable development in the world.
Mr. Cruz then discussed two achievements of BRICS. One is safety cooperation, and the other achievement is a competitive economic fostered by the growth of trade. Mr. Cruz stated that the five countries have experienced remarkable economic development, which impacted diversification and the export of scientific technology.
Mr. Mikhaylov argued that as a basic goal, BRICS should foster the consistent and active development of not only the five countries of BRICS but the rest of the world. Mr. Bhatia said the five countries in BRICS are equal partners, which is different from a UN system in which a national partner depends on the economic size of the nations. Finally, Mr. Goso discussed the importance of South Africa being a member of BRICS as a developing country. To further develop the world, which requires improvements in developing countries, Mr. Goso argued that deeper interactions among BRICS countries will be necessary.
Yurie Kaku is a third-year student at the University of Toronto, and she is currently serving as an Editor in Synergy.
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