China ready to expand practical cooperation with BRICS members, partners: foreign ministry

BEIJING, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- China is ready to work with other BRICS members and partners to expand practical cooperation in various fields, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Tuesday.

Mao made the comments at a daily press briefing after Russia announced the list of BRICS partners on Monday.

The establishment of the category of BRICS partners is a result of the BRICS summit in October in Kazan, Russia.

Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Uganda have finally been designated as BRICS partners after the summit, Mao said.

She noted that this is further important progress in the development of the bloc, following its historic expansion last year.

"The representativeness of the BRICS mechanism has been expanded further, and its appeal and influence have become more prominent, making it an increasingly important platform for the promotion of unity and cooperation for the Global South," she said.

BRICS is an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa -- five major emerging markets with considerable economic potential.