Dr. José Ricardo on the importance of BRICS mechanism in promoting multilateralism and facilitating cooperation among emerging economies

Interview Series: Community with a Shared Future for Mankind

EP06: Dr. José Ricardo on the importance of BRICS mechanism in promoting multilateralism and facilitating cooperation among emerging economies

Over the years, China has adhered to the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits by upholding and practicing true multilateralism through various efforts, among which, BRICS has stood out as a shining example. Since the inception of BRICS, a new model has been forged for multilateralism, showing the world towards a new path of building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Today, we have invited Dr. José Ricardo dos Santo Luz Junior, Co-Chairman and CEO of LIDE China, a group that contributes to deepening economic relations between China and Brazil, to share his views on how the BRICS mechanism is helping to promote multilateralism and facilitate global cooperation among emerging economies.

Q1: Hi, Dr. Ricardo, let’s start the discussion with the term “multilateralism”, which has been stressed very hard by the BRICS mechanism. How do you think it helps with global development, and how do you think it applies to the world as it enters into a new era?

José Ricardo dos Santo Luz Junior: BRICS, which is an initiative of a global development in a new era. This global development in a new era can only be achieved through maintaining multilateralism and expanding the dialogue between countries.

The BRICS mechanism between Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, which is responsible for 42% of the global population and roughly speaking about 25% of the global GDP shows the importance of these countries in terms of this new governance. We need to have more voices.

Q2: Thank you, Dr. Ricardo. As the BRICS countries and many other emerging economies seek to raise their voices on the global stage, what do you think helps to bring them together to form a joint effort?

José Ricardo dos Santo Luz Junior: The BRICS countries have several things in common and that can be shown through the exchange in cultural affairs, the exchange in terms of the development of technology, in terms of the exchange of health information. For example, during COVID, the BRICS countries exchanged a lot of information and China, for example, donated a lot of equipment, sent several teams of doctors to other countries in order to help humanity fight against this common enemy.

Q3: As you have mentioned, the BRICS countries have cooperated in different areas including information-sharing, cultural exchanges, public health aid, and so forth. In your perspective, what is the biggest achievement the BRICS mechanism have done so far?

José Ricardo dos Santo Luz Junior: If I may say what is the greatest achievement of BRICS, I would highlight the importance of the New Development Bank, because the New Development Bank has been offering loans not only for the BRICS countries, but to any country which needs this loan in order to provide, for example, infrastructure, to provide projects in sustainability.

These loans from the New Development Bank can be seen through projects in several different sort of sectors, water and treatment sanitation, electricity provided to non-privileged people among other important and key projects which has been again developed not only in Brazil, in Russia, India, China, South Africa, but also to any other countries in need.

If the BRICS countries do not exist anymore, at least we would say that a very fruitful result was the New Development Bank.

Q4: Thank you, Dr. Ricardo. For my last question, how do you think the BRICS mechanism is making an impact in today's world?

José Ricardo dos Santo Luz Junior: The BRICS now has a voice to the world. The BRICS mechanism has been an important voice to show other people's mentality, other people's needs, other people's achievements. It's another mechanism that helps to build the importance of multilateralism in the world.