South African Ambassador to China, Xie Shengwen: BRICS countries attract more applicants to cooperate with the "Golden Value" | Belt | Countries
The 15th BRICS Leaders Summit will be held in Johannesburg, South Africa from August 22nd to 24th, according to Global Times reporter Xiong Xinyi and Yin Yeping. Recently, South African Ambassador to China, Xie Shengwen, stated in an interview with Global Times reporters that the BRICS countries have not been an exclusive organization since their establishment. At the same time, he stressed that since the tenth anniversary of the "the Belt and Road" initiative, relevant cooperation has brought only benefits to Africa.
When it comes to more and more countries expressing their willingness to join the BRICS, Xie Shengwen said, "Since its establishment, the BRICS countries have not been an exclusive organization. The organization advocates inclusivity, promotes global governance and financial institution reform, promotes multilateral system fairness, and strengthens multilateral governance under the United Nations system. We insist on accelerating the establishment of a better global trade system and opposing trade protectionism."
Xie Shengwen believes that one of the main reasons for the surge in interest from more countries to join is that everyone recognizes the benefits of being a member of the BRICS countries. The increase in trade volume among BRICS member countries directly benefits people's livelihoods, promoting increased employment opportunities and economic growth. In addition, the BRICS countries have their own financial institution - the New Development Bank. The New Development Bank has helped member countries build many necessary infrastructure through fewer punitive or restrictive provisions. The BRICS countries have also established emergency reserve mechanisms to assist member countries in extracting funds when needed.
This year marks the tenth anniversary of the proposal of jointly building the "the Belt and Road" initiative. South Africa is the first African country to negotiate and sign the "the Belt and Road" cooperation memorandum with China. According to Xie Shengwen, Chinese companies are winning public bidding for construction projects such as roads, bridges, and dams in South Africa, which are spread throughout the country and are crucial for driving industrial development in impoverished provinces. Chinese enterprises have also participated in the expansion of ports, and their cooperation with South Africa in dealing with the difficulties in electricity supply is also very close.
When it comes to the potential for cooperation between the two sides, Xie Shengwen believes that the first priority is cooperation in energy transformation and technology sharing. Secondly, we will strengthen cooperation in areas such as the digital economy and technology. South Africa is currently in the early stages of economic digitization and production mode transformation, and China's development experience is very helpful to South Africa. In addition, there is personnel exchange, which is not limited to the tourism industry, but also includes exchanges in fields such as education, sports, and healthcare.
Referring to some western politicians and media claiming that the "the Belt and Road" initiative has created the so-called "debt trap" in some African countries, Xie Shengwen told the Global Times
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