BRICS Cooperation in Global Governance

Wang Youming

With the common goal of rebalancing discourse power and representation in global governance， the BRICS countries share identical or similar propositions on actors， objects and methods of global governance. Since BRICS countries are quite different in political and economic systems， value systems， stages of development， and historical and cultural traditions， the concept of global governance varies greatly. Overall， what the BRICS countries are pursuing is to seek common ground and resolve differences， focus on creating a new order for the future of global governance， tighten the bond of interests， send out BRICS voices for global security governance and global development governance， and continuously inject new impetus and positive energy into the global governance system， thus making sure the BRICS cooperation mechanism advance in a sound and sustained manner.

SHARE IDENTICAL AND SIMILAR VIEWS ON GLOBAL GOVERNANCE

Who to govern， what to govern， and how to govern constitute the three core elements of global governance. Centering on the three core elements， the BRICS countries have made a clear BRICS voice on changing the unfair， unreasonable and unbalanced global governance power system.

I. Advocate pluralism and equality of global governance actors

On the issue of nation-states being the main actors of global governance， Western countries， especially the United States， advocate unipolar governance， that is， to determine the main actors of global governance as per the so-called position of power. Based on the alliance system， the United States attempts to build the Western governance system under its domination， namely peace under American governance， which is actually unilateralism. Therefore， in the eyes of the United States， global governance is actually the American version of governing the world. The BRICS countries unanimously believe that countries， big or small， are equal actors of global governance， entitled to the same right to govern global affairs within the framework of the United Nations， and oppose unilateral governance， and hegemonic governance featuring one big power. The original aspiration of BRICS cooperation is to achieve the rebalancing of the power of global governance actors， and the nature of the BRICS mechanism is a declaration of global rebalancing. Keeping this original intention in mind， the BRICS countries have been committed to promoting multilateral governance and equal governance in global affairs， and hope to build the BRICS mechanism into a model for practicing true multilateralism in the process of the reform of the global governance system.

II. Advocate inclusiveness and balance

Western countries and BRICS countries have different views on the issue of what is the main object of governance.

First， the focus of governance should be on the issue of traditional security or non-traditional security. Western countries， especially European countries， tend to make non-traditional security the top priority of global governance， and to a large extent， issues such as climate change， infectious disease prevention and control， and counter-terrorism are more important and urgent than traditional security issues. While recognizing the importance of issues such as climate change， the BRICS countries insist that solving development issues is the focus of global governance， as well as the general solution for the pandemic and conflict faced by the world. This is also the main reason why Chinese President Xi Jinping gained active support from more than 100 countries and international organizations shortly after he proposed the Global Development Initiative.

Second， the determination of the object of governance should adhere to the principle of self-interest or the principle of inclusiveness. The BRICS countries believe that since Western countries have achieved industrialization， economic development is not their top priority and urgent task; while emerging markets and developing countries are in the process of industrialization， pursuing economic development is the right thing to do. Therefore， it is inappropriate to determine the object of governance as per the principle of pragmatism and self-interest. Instead， we should take into account the concerns of multiple parties following the principle of inclusiveness. To this end， the BRICS countries unanimously oppose Western countries unrealistic demands on developing countries， with an aim to suppress and exploit the right to development of developing countries， under the pretext of focusing on addressing climate change.

Third， the objects of governance should be comprehensive or focused. According to the declarations made at the G7 Summits， the global governance objects determined by the Western countries are all-encompassing， particularly global affairs that do not conform to Western rules are included in their agendas as the objects of governance. The BRICS countries believe that the current and even future global governance should have a focus rather than cover too many fields. When determining the objects of governance， we should lay emphasis on the balance of world development， narrow the development gap between the north and the south， reduce the development deficit， and shift the focus of governance to the sustainable development of the vast number of developing countries， especially focusing on such issues as poverty alleviation， food security， economic recovery， employment training， education and health， green development.

III. Advocate extensive consultation， joint contribution and shared benefits

How to? ? handle global affairs is closely related to the determination of global governance actors， that is， the governance body structure determines the governance model. A one big governance body will inevitably produce hegemonic governance and power governance models， while a multipolar and equal governance body is expected to create a governance model featuring extensive consultation， joint contribution and shared benefits.

The U.S.-led Western countries still resort to the old thinking and vainly attempt to continue to monopolize international affairs， especially the United States wants to handle international affairs by leveraging on its own strength. The United States puts itself in the driving seat in global affairs handling， advocating that global governance can only be rule-based governance， and such rules can only be formulated by the West.

The BRICS countries and other developing countries agree that globalization is not Americanization and that the multi-polarization of the world and the democratization of international relations are the general trends of the times. Global affairs are everyones affairs， with everyone calling the shots， not the position of power. There is only one set of rules for global governance， which is the basic norms of international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. The BRICS countries insist that hegemonic governance doesnt work and that joint consultation is the only way to go. Unipolar governance will inevitably lead to the West enjoying international public goods exclusively， and only by governance through extensive consultation can the international community share the fruits of governance.

BRICS COUNTRIES CONFRONT THE COLLISION OF VIEWS

Since BRICS countries are different in political systems， value systems， stages of development， history and culture， etc.， there will inevitably be some differences in the concepts of global governance.

I. Misunderstandings on the reform of the UN Security Council

The Group of Four formed between India and Brazil among the BRICS countries， as well as Japan and Germany， strongly demand their accession to UN Security Council. With regard to the repeated failures of India and Brazil， the United States and some other Western countries have selectively expressed their support for the Group of Four， and viciously accused China of becoming a stumbling block to the reform of the UN Security Council because of its historical issues with its neighboring country Japan. In fact， the biggest obstacle to the reform of the UN Security Council is the United States， which has no intention of changing the post-war international order and international system carefully designed by it， nor can it tolerate the latecomers to move its cheese. However， some scholars from the political and academic circle in India and Brazil， choose to believe the words and deeds spread by the United States with ulterior motives of making China take the blame， and have not realized the truth and essence of the problem， thus having a misunderstanding on China.

II. Differences exist on WTO reform

As representatives of developing countries， BRICS countries need to jointly safeguard the fundamental interests of developing countries in the WTO reform process， in which the principle of special and differential treatment is the institutional guarantee of the interests of developing countries. China， India， South Africa and other countries believe that this principle is an unshakable core value of the WTO. However， as Brazils political ecology changes， the Bolsonaro government claims to rethink the principle of special and differential treatment， which clearly has to do with its intention to abandon its status as a developing country and attempt to join the OECD， a club of rich countries.

III. Differences in views on non-traditional security issues

On the definition of terrorism， the BRICS countries havent reached a unanimous consensus. Some Indian scholars have particularly emphasized that state terrorism is an element of counter-terrorism， an intention to allude to their neighbors， which has been opposed by other member states. As for cyber security， the BRICS countries also hold different opinions. Brazil and other countries believe that although internet freedom is related to national security， it does not involve national sovereignty. China believes that cyber security is closely related to national security， and it cannot be blindly cut off from national sovereignty in the name of freedom， otherwise， the internet is very likely to become a tool for some Western powers to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries， thus threatening and damaging the sovereignty and security of other countries. In addition， there are differences in the BRICS countries on the issue of values in global governance. Some officials and scholars in India， Brazil and other countries follow the advocates of Western countries， believing that democracy and human rights are the value basis of global governance， while China and Russia and other countries believe that the UN Charter and its purposes are the fundamental rules and basic principles of global governance， and international law is the basic law of global governance. Promoting global governance based on Western democratic and human rights values cannot protect the interests of the vast number of developing countries. Even worse， the Western double standard governance will only lead to chaos and disorder.

BRICS COUNTRIES SEEK COMMON GROUND

Although the BRICS countries have differences on some specific issues of global governance， these contradictions and differences exert little influence and do not impede the member states to seek the greatest common denominator of mutual interests in the core elements of global governance. In the future， in addition to continuing to make up for the shortcomings of people-to-people exchanges， the BRICS countries will also deepen cooperation in three major areas and team up to promote the BRICS mechanism in a sound and sustained manner.

First， safeguard the international system with the United Nations at its core， promote common， cooperative， balanced and sustainable global political and security governance， and build a security community for mankind. The Russia-Ukraine conflict reflects that todays international forces， old and new， are engaged in a historic showdown around where the international order will go. The United States hopes to continue to dominate global affairs and strive to create a new world order under its continued leadership with a Cold War mentality and a confrontational approach. The BRICS countries firmly believe that the international system with the United Nations as the core is unshakable， the security under unipolar hegemony is unsustainable， and the long-arm jurisdiction is doomed to fail. Besides， the geopolitical confrontational political security system does not meet the requirements of the development of the times， and no country can base its own security on sacrificing the security interests of other countries. In this regard， Chinese President Xi Jinping put forward Global Security Initiative and advocated the construction of a security community for mankind. The initiative， conforming to the development interests of the people of all countries， has received positive responses from BRICS countries and the vast number of developing countries， pointing out the right way forward for the BRICS countries to achieve global security governance.

Second， create fair， mutually beneficial and win-win conditions for development， improve the global economic governance system， and achieve a rebalancing of global economic governance power. Development is a common task for emerging markets and developing countries. For a long time， developing countries have faced an unjust and unbalanced international financial and economic environment. To this end， the BRICS countries must continue to work together， on the basis of the establishment of New Development Bank and Contingent Reserve Arrangement， innovate their thinking， forge ahead， and strive to launch important initiatives with great potential in the field of international financial governance， thus achieving a rebalancing of international financial governance power for a long time. We should continue to advance the 16th General Review of Quotas of the IMF as scheduled before December 15， 2023， and further expand the representation and voice of the BRICS countries. In the long run， we should carry out a feasibility study on the establishment of a BRICS financial information exchange system to alleviate the negative impact of Western financial hegemony on the BRICS countries and promote the fair， orderly and smooth operation of the international financial system.

In recent years， the United States has taken the lead in creating an exclusive economic system to divide the world， which has had a serious impact on global economic governance. The construction of small economic circles and small groups， such as the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework （IPEF）， are bound to lead global economic governance to a dead end. Therefore， the BRICS countries need to resolutely resist this small courtyard and high wall economic governance model， continue to advocate an open world economy， strengthen international cooperation， and promote the development of global economic governance in the direction of inclusiveness and win-win results.

Third， strengthen the construction of non-traditional security governance mechanisms and deepen cooperation in the fields of global health， climate， food， digital economy， and green economy. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the fragility， imbalance and urgency of the global public health governance system. In addition to launching the BRICS Vaccine R&D Center， BRICS countries will further build and improve the global health governance system. To address climate change， the New Development Bank announced that it will invest 40% of its funds in projects to combat climate change over the next five years. BRICS countries should continue to use platforms such as the BRICS Environment Ministers Meeting and the BRICS High-level Conference on Climate Change to explore new development paths such as green economy， low-carbon economy and circular economy. Food security is becoming increasingly prominent， and the BRICS food security cooperation， with a large space and strong operability， will be deepened under the framework of the Strategy on Food Security Cooperation of the BRICS Countries， so as to ensure the safety and smoothness of the food supply chain. Under the wave of the scientific and technological revolution， the digital economy stands out. BRICS countries will further strengthen the capacity building of the digital technology and economy， explore ways and means of cooperation in the digital economy， and build the BRICS digital economy partnership.

At a time when there are major changes in the structure and development direction of the global governance system， the BRICS countries uphold the BRICS spirit of openness， inclusiveness and win-win cooperation， keep pace with the times， and forge ahead. They continue to find a new starting point that meets the needs of the times and the demands of the vast number of developing countries， further expand the circle of friends， build high-quality partnerships， and continuously inject new momentum into global governance.

Wang Youming is Director and Research Fellow at Department for Developing Countries Studies of China Institute of International Studies