China’s Xi Jinping called for stronger Global South ties during a session on Day 2 of BRICS 2026 Summit on Sunday. He put forth five initiatives, urging BRICS members to deepen ties with emerging markets, maintain open and mutually beneficial cooperation, and safeguard stable industrial and supply chains. He also called for efforts to build a large, integrated market to support greater economic cooperation and development
Xi also called for a rules-based international order at the Summit, saying global rules must be shaped by all countries. He said the “might makes right” approach should have been discarded and urged Global South nations to jointly uphold international law, sovereign equality, non-interference in internal affairs and the peaceful settlement of disputes, while ensuring ‘rules are applied equally without double standards’.
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What are the 5 initiatives Xi proposed for BRICS countries
Xi announced five initiatives to deepen cooperation among BRICS countries, focusing on artificial intelligence, trade, the digital economy, manufacturing and talent development.
Under the open-source and inclusive AI initiative, China proposed establishing a BRICS AI open-source community, promoting cooperation on large language models and creating an open AI ecosystem.
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China also proposed a trade and investment facilitation initiative which includes a BRICS special economic zone partnership and the launch of a BRICS Forum on Trade in Services next year.
The digital industry cooperation initiative seeks to establish a BRICS digital ecosystem cloud platform while promoting digital skills training, technology exchanges and industrial cooperation, according to the press release.
Under the intelligent manufacturing initiative, China will support BRICS countries in developing smart factories and standards to accelerate manufacturing upgrades.
The fifth, the science and technology talent development initiative, proposes a BRICS engineer cultivation alliance and a youth exchange programme focused on scientific and technological innovation to develop skilled talent.
Global South countries should jointly defend the rule of law in international affairs, safeguard the basic norms of international relations including sovereign equality, noninterference in internal affairs, and the peaceful settlement of disputes, and ensure that international law and international rules are applied to all, free from double standards, XI said via an official release.
