Xi says "BRICS Plus" countries should be stabilizing force for peace

China

Xi says "BRICS Plus" countries should be stabilizing force for peace

2024-10-24 18:49 Last Updated At：10-25 09:07

"BRICS Plus" countries should be a stabilizing force for peace, strengthen global security governance, and explore ways to address both the symptoms and root causes of hotspot issues, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Thursday when addressing the BRICS Plus leaders' dialogue in western Russia's Kazan City.

"We should uphold peace and strive for common security. We should come forward together to form a stabilizing force for peace. We should strengthen global security governance, and explore solutions to address both symptoms and roots of hotspot issues," Xi told the dialogue, which is part of the 16th BRICS Summit.

The Chinese president called for efforts to de-escalate the Ukraine crisis and achieve a comprehensive ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

"Many parties have warmly responded to my Global Security Initiative. Under the Initiative, we have made prominent progress in maintaining regional stability and in many other areas. China and Brazil jointly issued the six-point consensus, and launched the group of Friends for Peace on the Ukraine crisis together with other Global South countries. We should promote early deescalation to pave the way for political settlement. Last July, Palestinian factions reconciled with each other in Beijing, marking a key step toward peace in the Middle East. We should continue to promote comprehensive ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and revive the two-State solution. We must stop the flames of war from spreading in Lebanon," he said.

The first-ever summit of an expanded BRICS is taking place from Tuesday to Thursday in Kazan, the capital city of western Russia's Republic of Tatarstan. Xi flew in on Tuesday to attend the event at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

BRICS began with Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, and has now evolved into an influential international cooperation mechanism with an expanded membership.

Besides the countries that officially joined the BRICS family on Jan 1, 2024, over 30 other countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Türkiye and Azerbaijan have either formally applied for or expressed interest in membership.

Mainland official meets former Taiwan leader, calling for active cross-Strait exchange, cooperation

2024-12-19 05:28 Last Updated At：06:17

A Chinese mainland official called for active exchange and cooperation between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, when meeting with guests from Taiwan on Wednesday.

Song Tao, head of both the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, met with Ma Ying-jeou, former chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang, and representatives of guests from Taiwan in Harbin, the capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.

Song conveyed greetings from Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, to the guests, who are in Harbin to attend a cross-Strait youth snow and ice festival.

He called on people on both sides of the Strait -- all of whom are Chinese -- to prioritize the future of the country and the interests of the nation, uphold the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus, and firmly oppose Taiwan separatism and external interference.

He also urged people to work together to improve cross-Strait relations, maintain peace and stability in the Strait, and pursue national rejuvenation.

Expressing his gratitude for Xi's greetings, Ma said that people on both sides of the Strait -- all of whom are members of the Chinese nation -- should uphold the 1992 Consensus, oppose Taiwan separatism, expand exchange and cooperation, and work together to promote the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations.

Ma is leading a delegation of Taiwan youth to visit the Chinese mainland from Dec 18 to 26. They will participate in an ice-themed event in Harbin, then will travel to Sichuan Province in the southwest to experience traditional Chinese culture.

This is Ma's second trip to the mainland this year and his third within two years.