Interview: China a driving force for stronger BRICS cooperation mechanism, says Egyptian official

CAIRO, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- China has been a driving force that promotes the BRICS cooperation mechanism, Ezzat Saad, director of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs, has said.

In a recent interview with Xinhua, Saad said that China's proposal in 2017 to create a BRICS Plus platform, which was aimed at enhancing cooperation with other emerging markets and developing countries, has opened "new space for new countries to join the bloc."

The benefits of China's proposal became evident when new countries joined BRICS, while more than 30 other countries have either formally applied for or expressed interest in its membership, he added.

The Egyptian official attributed the mechanism's success in attracting more countries to the reliability of the leading BRICS members, especially China.

He noted that the values upheld by BRICS resonate with countries in the Global South, emphasizing China's leadership in areas such as economy, finance, good governance, and multilateralism characterized by equity and justice.

"China is believed to be the true and trusted voice of developing countries and emerging markets," he said.

Among other achievements, BRICS has established two important cooperation mechanisms: the New Development Bank (NDB) and the Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA). The latter provides support for countries facing financial emergencies.

"All these arrangements, meetings, and summits provide an institutional framework for member states to promote coordination and interaction," Saad said.

Saad cited Egypt as an example of the countries that benefited from their interaction with BRICS before officially joining it. He stressed Egypt's participation in BRICS summits since 2017, its membership in the NDB, and its enhanced cooperation with China, Russia, and India in several sectors.

He said the BRICS spirit reflects the principles that China and other founding countries have long championed, adding that the group was established in a world marked by unfairness and contradictions.

Saad perceived the growing number of requests for joining BRICS as a sign of resentment over the Western hegemony, hypocrisy, double standards, and disregard for multilateralism and UN principles.

"Each society has its heritage, culture, and traditions that should be respected. So, it is not logical anymore when the West believes it can monopolize global economic or financial order," he said.

Looking ahead to the upcoming BRICS summit in Russia on Oct. 22-24, Saad expressed optimism that it would carry out new initiatives or plans to promote world justice.