(Researchers and global leaders in Sharing Economy discussing on the forum)

“New digital businesses in emerging markets are embracing a unique historical opportunity to create a new technology frontier, as well as positively contribute to the restructuring of traditional economies,” said Cheng Wei, the founder and CEO of China’s car-hailing giant Didi Chuxing, at a BRICS+ Forum in Beijing.

The BRICS+ Forum on the Sharing Economy was held on Friday, where global ride sharing leaders gathered with policymakers and researchers to discuss cross-regional collaboration among BRICS countries.

“We have a lot of experience from working on traffic problems in China for over five years,” said Cheng. “We want to export our experience through collaborations instead of competitions.”

Since 2015, Didi has played an active role in forging a global framework of collaboration in the mobile-based transportation industry. Their network now extends to over 60% of the world population across more than 1,000 cities after investing in BRICS counties.

According to Pranay Jivrajka, founding partner of Ola, an Indian version of Uber, economic data shared by China’s Didi kept them from buying too many vehicles and making full use of currently owned vehicles. “In India, buses and tricycles can also be hailed online after they are equipped with mobile-based systems,” Jivrajka said.

The partners reaffirmed their commitment to an open and sustainable global mobility ecosystem and vowed to deepen current collaboration in technology and product development.

Peter Fernandez, CEO of 99, a Brazilian car-hailing startup, spoke highly of the collaboration with Didi. “Didi is a great company, which is capable of changing the future.” Peter said Brazil has the same per-capita income as and the same total number of cars in use within China. The new payment and credit systems brought by Didi improved 99’s car-hailing services significantly.

“As China and Didi lead the global sharing-economy, other BRICS countries can learn from their success and experience,” said Zhang Xiaofeng, a sharing-economy researcher at Tsinghua University. He said the credit system should be used overseas in BRICS countries and for the Belt and Road to build a more connected world.

“We are sharing the technology and expertise we learn at every turn. By working with our partners, we will also be able to develop new capabilities to help regional policymakers achieve sustainability goals with smart transportation solutions,” Cheng said.