General

Customs data: "bricks" help multilateral, South Africa is extraordinary! Since the BRICS Foreign Ministers met for the first time in 2006, the BRICS cooperation mechanism has been enriched and matured in more than ten years, and has now formed a "comprehensive, multi-level and wide-ranging" cooperation system. For more than a decade, the BRICS cooperation mechanism has effectively promoted the coordinated development of the global economy, promoted the progress of multilateral mechanisms, and at the same time made developing countries receive more attention.

In 2023, South Africa will assume the rotating presidency of the BRICS countries. South Africa is the only BRICS member country on the African continent, while China is not only a strong supporter and participant of the BRICS mechanism, but also the largest economy among the BRICS countries. Under the framework of BRICS countries and South-South cooperation, the bilateral relations between China and South Africa have always been solid. The current China-South Africa relations have already gone beyond the scope of bilateral relations and become a model of China-Africa relations and cooperation between emerging market countries, with important strategic significance and global influence.

Promote the transformation of the multilateral agenda

The population of the BRICS countries accounts for about 41.8% of the total global population. It can be said that the BRICS countries have markets, resources, strength and potential, and economic and trade cooperation has a broad space, which is a pivotal emerging force in the global economy.

Since the establishment of the BRICS cooperation mechanism, it has practiced true multilateralism and promoted common development, and various cooperation has flourished at the bilateral and multilateral levels. At the 12th BRICS Economic and Trade Ministers' Meeting held in 2022, the ministers agreed to strengthen cooperation in the fields of digital economy, trade, investment and sustainable development, supply chain and multilateral trading system. The meeting also approved a series of outcome documents, demonstrating the BRICS countries' support for the multilateral trading system represented by the WTO through practical actions.

Economic and trade cooperation has reached a higher level. According to customs data, the total bilateral trade between China and the BRICS countries in 2021 was 490.42 billion US dollars, up 39.2% year on year, higher than the overall growth rate of China's foreign trade in the same period.

Strengthen health cooperation. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the BRICS countries have provided more than 1 billion doses of vaccines to countries around the world through bilateral, international organizations and the "COVID-19 Vaccine Implementation Plan" in the form of grants and donations. In March 2022, the BRICS Vaccine Research and Development Center was launched. In May of the same year, the BRICS countries agreed to launch the BRICS early warning system for the prevention of large-scale infectious diseases. At the same time, the BRICS community has promoted digital epidemic prevention and improved telemedicine cooperation, which have become new highlights of BRICS health cooperation.

It is noteworthy that with the proposal of the "BRICS+" cooperation model, BRICS countries have gradually formed an increasingly extensive "circle of friends" around the world, attracting more emerging countries to participate in cooperation. At the 14th BRICS Leaders' Meeting held in June 2022, the leaders of China, Russia, India, Brazil and South Africa agreed to continue to promote the BRICS expansion process. Since then, countries including Iran, Argentina, Türkiye, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Algeria have also actively expressed their willingness to join, causing global concern. In addition, Belarus is also considering joining the BRICS countries in the near future. On February 22 this year, Belarusian Foreign Minister Sergei Aleynik said at the ministerial meeting of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that "actively participate in the preparations for the Russia-Africa Forum to be held in July this year, and consider the issue of joining the BRICS countries."

China-South Africa cooperation has achieved fruitful results

South Africa formally joined the BRICS countries in December 2010, thus expanding the "BRICS countries" to "BRICS countries". Today, South Africa has become China's largest trading partner in Africa, and the economic and trade exchanges between the two countries have achieved fruitful results and close cooperation.

According to customs data, China has become South Africa's largest trading partner for 13 consecutive years by 2021; China has invested more than 25 billion US dollars in South Africa; There are more than 200 Chinese-funded enterprises in South China, creating more than 400000 local jobs. According to customs data, the bilateral trade volume between China and South Africa reached US $56.739 billion in 2022. South Africa's beef, citrus, fresh pear, red wine, oyster, doctor's tea and other advantageous agricultural products continue to enter the Chinese market. According to customs data, since joining the "the Belt and Road" circle of friends in 2015, South Africa's road, railway, port and other infrastructure construction level has greatly improved.

South Africa's Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Naladi Pandor, said that South Africa's main goal of joining the BRICS countries was to promote South Africa's future growth and development, and strengthen the BRICS internal relations and mutually beneficial cooperation. Through partnerships with key players on issues related to global governance and its reform and development, we will directly and indirectly contribute to the priorities of achieving a better South Africa, a better Africa and a better world.

The BRICS cooperation mechanism is based on diversity. It is not a closed club, but a big family and win-win partners. It will contribute to the development of the international order and global governance system in a more just and reasonable direction.