BRICS Cooperation: International Institutional Innovation of Multilateral Cooperation in the New Era

The 16th BRICS Summit was held in Kazan， Russia from October 22nd to 24th， 2024， marking the first summit after the BRICS expansion where the BRICS ushered in a new stage of “greater BRICS cooperation”. At present， globalization and global governance are facing grave challenges and international cooperation is taking difficult steps towards high-quality development. Countries， with diverse interests and civilizations and at different stages of development， call for an innovative international institutional arrangement as they aspire to achieve mutual respect and win-win cooperation. The BRICS cooperation is one of such typical paradigms of innovative multilateral cooperation and an international institutional innovation that spearheads the common development of the “Global South”. As the main channel for cementing the solidarity and cooperation of the “Global South” and a vanguard for advancing the reform of global governance， the “greater BRICS cooperation” has profound impacts on the evolution of the international landscape and the transformation of the world order.

China Upgrades and Advances the BRICS Cooperation in the New Era

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China， socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era. The “new era” has become a critical coordinate and historical orientation in Chinese modernization. As pointed out by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the opening ceremony of the BRICS Business Forum on the sidelines of the 9th BRICS Summit in 2017， “We should expand the coverage of BRICS cooperation and deliver its benefits to more people. We should promote the ‘BRICS Plus’ cooperation approach and build an open and diversified network of development partnerships to get more emerging market economies and developing countries involved in our concerted endeavors for cooperation and mutual benefits.” His important elaboration on the “BRICS Plus” cooperation model opened up the prospects for acceleration of the BRICS cooperation.

The “BRICS Plus” cooperation model took initial shape as early as March 2013 during the BRICS Summit held in Durban， South Africa. Until the Xiamen Summit， the approaches to implementing the “BRICS Plus” only focused on regional international organizations and regional countries， but failed to demonstrate the aspired positioning of the BRICS cooperation as a global governance mechanism， nor did it live up to the expectations of emerging market economies and developing countries for the BRICS. For the first time ever， the 2017 Xiamen BRICS Summit engaged representatives from emerging market economies and developing countries of different regions in the dialogue， and the “BRICS Plus” mechanism thus truly became an effective platform for the BRICS to carry out open cooperation for mutual benefits and win-win outcomes with other emerging market economies and developing countries. By including more developing countries in the BRICS cooperation， the “BRICS Plus” mechanism has enhanced the representativeness of the BRICS at the geopolitical， economic， and political levels. It has also spread the concept and institutional framework of BRICS cooperation to potential partners， inspiring other countries to approve and adopt a series of political， economic， and cultural standards set up by the BRICS mechanism. In the new era， China has spearheaded the innovation of the “BRICS Plus” mechanism to accelerate the BRICS cooperation and build it into a shining model of innovative multilateral international cooperation， which is demonstrated in three aspects.

The first is to bring together more partners to the BRICS. As the BRICS embrace more friends after the 2017 Xiamen Summit， the grouping has shifted from a regionally representative platform to a globally representative one. During the Xiamen Summit， China， at the presidency， invited leaders from five emerging market economies and developing countries， including Mexico， Egypt， Guinea， Tajikistan and Thailand， to participate in the dialogue for the first time. Such an arrangement is conducive to expanding the coverage of the BRICS， delivering benefits to more partners and thus enhancing the global representation and international discourse power of the BRICS.

The BRICS， represented by China in the new era， take a friendly， open and sincere attitude to engage more emerging market economies and developing countries in the BRICS dialogue and cooperation， and diversify the BRICS partners， in line with the fundamental interests of many developing countries. Engaging in dialogue with the BRICS has become an effective way for developing countries to participate in the global economic development.

The “BRICS Plus” also provides an effective platform for other emerging market economies in the world to intensify cooperation with the BRICS. A group of regional powers are also rapidly emerging and growing with the BRICS. Realizing the weight of the BRICS in major global political and economic affairs， these countries have a strong will to cement closer partnerships with the BRICS and even profoundly participate in the BRICS cooperation. “BRICS Plus” is a design of roadmap for such emerging market economies to gradually engage in the BRICS cooperation and avoid internal divergence within the group of emerging market economies.

The second is to expand the scope of the BRICS cooperation. Driven by the efforts of China， the BRICS cooperation has shifted from the traditional “dual tracks” of economy and politics to the “three main drivers” of political and security cooperation， economic cooperation and people-to-people exchanges. The areas of the BRICS cooperation are more balanced and diverse.

Firstly， efforts are made to intensify political and security cooperation among the BRICS members. Such cooperation， as an important source of solidarity and cohesion of the BRICS and a strong support for trade as well as economic and cultural cooperation among BRICS countries， has been deepened and cemented after the Xiamen Summit. China has actively encouraged BRICS countries to strengthen strategic communication and political mutual trust， leverage on the mechanisms of Meeting of BRICS High Representatives for Security Issues and the Meeting of BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs， and bring into full play the role of the BRICS Counter Terrorism Working Group and the BRICS Cybersecurity Working Group in political and security cooperation and thus to strategically build a solid foundation for political and security cooperation.

Secondly， new substances are injected into the BRICS economic， trade and financial cooperation. Under the guidance of such documents as the Strategy for BRICS Economic Partnership 2025， the BRICS will continue to forge strong synergy of development strategies， enhance trade and investment cooperation， jointly build a large market for trade and investment， promote circulation of currency and finance as well as the infrastructure connectivity. The BRICS will also seize the opportunities unleashed by the new industrial revolution to make bold exploration in integrating such new industries and new formats of business as smart manufacturing， Internet Plus， digital economy and sharing economy into the BRICS pragmatic economic cooperation.

Thirdly， efforts are made to boost BRICS people-to-people and cultural exchanges. Due to the diverse and distinctive languages， culture， history， traditions and political systems， the BRICS face the inevitable challenges including insufficient mutual understanding and emotional alienation. After the Xiamen Summit， people-to-people and cultural exchanges have been established as the third pillar of BRICS cooperation. Since 2017， facilitated by China’s efforts， the BRICS have signed a series of documents on cultural exchange and established alliances of cultural institutions such as art galleries， libraries and museums to continuously expand the fields of cultural exchange and cooperation.

The third is to make the BRICS cooperation more substantive. Since the Xiamen Summit， China has played an active role in establishing the New Development Bank （NDB） and spearheaded the innovation of the BRICS financial governance system. By launching the BRICS Partnership on New Industrial Revolution Innovation Center （Xiamen）， China endeavors to empower the BRICS cooperation mechanism with Chinese modernization and add more substance to the BRICS cooperation.

On the one hand， China actively contributes to the establishment of the New Development Bank. This Shanghai-based institution has become an essential platform for supporting the BRICS infrastructure construction and sustainable development and has continuously improved its governance and operational efficiency. In the principles of keeping member states as the dominant players and remaining demand-orientated， the New Development Bank leverages on innovative financing mechanisms and channels various resources to increase investment in the BRICS and the “Global South”， basically achieving the overall investment strategy for 2022-2026. High-quality development of the New Development Bank has significantly boosted the BRICS financial governance and enhanced the discourse power and influence of the BRICS in the international financial system.

On the other hand， China has pushed forward the joint efforts to establish the BRICS Partnership on New Industrial Revolution Innovation Center to advance the modernization drive of the developing countries through the new industrial revolution. Faced with the opportunities brought by the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation， China has taken the initiative to propose the BRICS Partnership on New Industrial Revolution. In his remarks delivered at the 12th BRICS Summit in November 2020， Chinese President Xi Jinping suggested that “China will work with other parties to flesh out the BRICS Partnership on New Industrial Revolution at a faster pace. We will open a BRICS Partnership on New Industrial Revolution innovation center in Xiamen， Fujian Province to advance cooperation on policy coordination， personnel training and project development， and we welcome active participation of fellow BRICS countries.” The BRICS Partnership on New Industrial Revolution Innovation Center， now already set up in Xiamen， provides an effective lever and platform for other emerging market economies and developing countries to achieve industrial modernization， enhances the substance of BRICS cooperation and helps improve the institutionalization of the BRICS cooperation.

International Influence and Development Dynamics of the “Greater BRICS Cooperation”

As the BRICS cooperation mechanism develops rapidly， more and more emerging market economies are attracted by its glamour and apply to join. During the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg， South Africa in 2023， the first in-person summit after the COVID-19 pandemic， Egypt， Ethiopia， Iran， the United Arab Emirates， Saudi Arabia， Argentina （later withdrew） were officially invited to join the BRICS.

In 2024， the first year after the historic expansion of the BRICS cooperation mechanism， the BRICS have ushered in a new stage of “greater BRICS cooperation”. According to the statistics of 2023， at purchasing power parity （PPP）， the combined GDP of the BRICS has exceeded that of the Group of Seven （G7）. And China’s share is 1.7 times of the combined GDP of the rest BRICS countries. In addition， the BRICS are gaining a higher share in other global macroeconomic indicators， accounting for 40% of the world’s energy， 45% of food production and 30% of financial assets. The “greater BRICS cooperation” after the expansion will have more weight in global trade， international investment and development financing， exerting greater impacts. Over 30 countries have applied to join the BRICS since the beginning of 2024. This further reflects the international importance and enormous influence of the “greater BRICS cooperation”， which is specifically demonstrated in two aspects.

The first is that the attraction of the BRICS cooperation， especially its influence on the “Global South” is increasing. As the world is experiencing multipolar development and escalated geopolitical rivalries， many countries in the South aspire to gain a BRICS membership and thus enhance national influence and strategic autonomy. Through more cooperation in economic affairs， trade and investment with the BRICS， they hope to explore and foster their own economic growth drivers， improve the resilience and security of industrial and supply chains， seek more diverse economic and political alternatives and defend themselves against the risks and challenges brought by geopolitical and economic changes.

The second is that the BRICS cooperation mechanism is increasingly viewed as a platform well positioned to balance the West-dominated global order and further build a multipolar world. The BRICS’ focus on the inclusiveness of civilization and equitable development is in stark contrast to such traditional alliances as the G7. By joining the BRICS， many emerging market economies hope to push the international landscape towards multi-polarity and enhance their representation， influence and discourse power in the changing world order， thus realizing a more equitable and reasonable distribution of global resources.

In the meantime， as the BRICS enter a new stage after the expansion， its development dynamics show some new features.

The first is the adoption of a new format of “partner countries”. By establishing a partner country mechanism， the BRICS have extended an olive branch to more emerging market economies and developing countries. This represents an extension of the BRICS expansion and a more flexible and inclusive cooperation mechanism. The BRICS could further expand the scope of cooperation through partnerships with relevant countries. The format of “partner countries” prepares conditions for non-members engagement in the BRICS affairs through cooperation with BRICS members. Without a significant increase in the number of BRICS members， “partner country” would be a more convenient format to attract new members. It is so flexible that it not only lifts the institutional pressure exerted by significant expansion， but also responds promptly to the demand of more countries for participation in BRICS cooperation. Such a format is also conducive to involving more developing countries in the BRICS mechanism， sharing the cooperation outcomes in areas such as economy， technology and finance， and further strengthening the global influence of the BRICS cooperation mechanism， especially its appeal to the “Global South”.

The second is to establish categorized lists. The BRICS are attempting to expand cooperation areas through the format of lists， such as technological innovation， energy， digital economy and green development. Such lists are not only designed to divide different areas for cooperation areas， but also display a kind of systematic planning to set up standards and goals for cooperation. These categorized lists effectively deepen and expand the BRICS cooperation. The mechanism is refined to facilitate targeted BRICS cooperation in multiple areas and targeted selection of cooperation areas with new members. The lists also serve as operational guidance for internal coordination within the BRICS.

The third is to speak for the “Global South” and further push forward the reform of the global governance system. One feature of the BRICS expansion is its close relationship with South-South cooperation. As the influence of the Global North is waning， South-South cooperation is increasingly seen as a key path for addressing global challenges. On the platform of the “greater BRICS cooperation”， the BRICS members boost multilateral cooperation among themselves and also involve more countries in the South in such issues as global governance and resource allocation， strengthening the global positioning of BRICS as the representative of developing countries and empowering more voice of the BRICS in South-South cooperation. With strong complementarity between most countries in the South and the BRICS in trade， investment， finance and technology among other fields， further cooperation can lead to a promising future of common development.

The fourth is to further expand the areas of economic cooperation. Economic cooperation is the original aspiration and priority of the BRICS cooperation. The “greater BRICS cooperation” not only covers traditional economic， trade and international financial cooperation， but also extends to many new fields. The Kazan Declaration contains as many as 62 articles on economic cooperation， making up 46% of the documents. Among them， debt vulnerabilities， blended finance， digital economy， artificial intelligence， energy transitions， carbon trading， marine cooperation， rare minerals， transportation and logistics， radio medicine， outer space and international taxation all emerge for the first time as new areas of cooperation after the BRICS expansion. Such diversified areas of cooperation further expand the intention and extension of the BRICS cooperation and enhance the capabilities of the BRICS to address global economic changes and better cope with various challenges that may arise in the future.

Promising Prospects of the “Greater BRICS Cooperation”

Upon the backdrop of profound adjustments in the international landscape， the “greater BRICS cooperation” is embracing promising prospects. But we cannot ignore the existing challenges either， such as the traditional conflicts and issues left over from history within the BRICS countries after expansion and competition among some BRICS members with similar economic structures. To tackle these challenges， it is imperative to further consolidate value-based consensus of the BRICS and intensify dialogue， exchanges and cooperation through the “greater BRICS cooperation”. As a critical member of the BRICS， China undoubtedly plays a leading role in resolving challenges and boosting cooperation.

Firstly， we need to approach the “greater BRICS cooperation” from the strategic perspective of enhancing solidarity and cooperation of the “Global South” and devote enormous efforts to cultivating the BRICS spirit， the deep-seated common values. With the rise of emerging economies in recent years， the international balance of power has undergone profound changes， while the position and role of the “Global South” have attracted widespread attention. As pointed out in the remarks delivered by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the “BRICS Plus” Leaders’ dialogue， the collective rise of the Global South is a distinctive feature of the great transformation across the world. As an important component of the collective rise of the “Global South”， the “greater BRICS cooperation” should play a leading role to further consolidate and leverage the collective strength of the “Global South” and promote an equitable transformation of the world order. Faced with the dramatic global transformations， the United States and the West adopt the Cold-War mentality， foster “values-based alliances” and fabricate “structural conflicts between diverse actors” with the theories of “clash of civilizations”. Their actions not only lower the voice of emerging market economies and developing countries in global affairs， but also widen the rifts between different actors， hindering economic globalization and the diversity of world civilizations. The“greater BRICS cooperation” in contrast vividly displays the reality of the coexistence of diverse human civilizations. For example， the BRICS cover Chinese civilization， Slavic civilization， Indian civilization， Latin American civilization， African civilization， and Middle Eastern civilization. Within the framework of the BRICS cooperation， diverse civilizations hail inclusiveness and mutual learning and contribute full blooms to the beautiful garden of world civilizations. After entering the stage of “greater BRICS cooperation”， the BRICS should first build consensus on values and accelerate the construction of a value system that fully reflects the feature of the BRICS， in order to enhance the members’ sense of identity and emotional approval so as to motivate joint actions.

Secondly， we should strengthen people-to-people and cultural exchanges within the BRICS and actively work on the international communication and narrative of the “greater BRICS cooperation”. On the one hand， efforts should be made to build a cross-cultural network for dialogue and cooperation within the BRICS members. As a relatively loose grouping， the BRICS urgently need an effective mechanism to accommodate more members of the “Global South” to promote mutual exchanges and cooperation， resolve differences and enhance mutual trust. A cross-cultural platform for dialogue and hallmark projects for “greater BRICS cooperation” should be built in such fields as culture， tourism， education and think tanks. For example， during the BRICS Summit， we could consider hosting a BRICS cultural exhibition with the theme of BRICS cooperation and mutual learning of civilizations; tapping the historical and cultural resources of the BRICS to build an international platform for cultural and tourism exchanges among the BRICS; establishing BRICS overseas study programs to integrate resources from government， universities， and enterprises， and building a platform for international education exchanges and cooperation among BRICS members. China should also beef up its public diplomacy with civil society organizations， especially by shifting focus to the provincial and municipal levels， and encourage Chinese-funded enterprises， people’s organizations， charitable institutions and civil society organizations to actively participate in local social welfare programs in the BRICS member countries to motivate approval of BRICS cooperation by the BRICS civil society organizations. On the other hand， the BRICS should build an external strategic narrative and an international communication system. A consistent， clear and target-oriented strategic narrative is needed for the BRICS to engage with external actors. It is important to clarify the positioning of the countries as “fellow constructors” of the existing international order rather than “substitutes” and the principle for BRICS cooperation that features equality， respect and consensus， without confrontational or exclusive agendas. The BRICS should actively participate in discussions on such global issues as human rights， environmental protection， climate and development， and demonstrate that the BRICS cooperation mechanism serves as a platform for global cooperation that is based on the overall interests of all humanity and with a focus on reflecting the cultural and historical features and development interests of the “Global South”. In addition， a BRICS international communication system should also be built. A “BRICS News Agency”， as proposed by Chinese and Russian scholars， and large-scale communication institutions should be built as a new and integrated media cooperation platform that could rival the Western monopoly in international communication.

Thirdly， China should continue to play a leading role to inject more positive vitality into the BRICS cooperation. China has played a critical role in boosting the BRICS cooperation， whether it is the construction of cooperation mechanisms or the expansion and deepening of cooperation areas， demonstrating the strength of major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristic in the new era. In his statement delivered at the 16th BRICS Summit， Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed to build a BRICS committed to peace， innovation， green development， justice and closer people-to-people exchanges， which has steered the direction of “greater BRICS cooperation” in the future. In practice， we need to， on the one hand， accelerate the implementation of new platforms and plans， such as the China-BRICS Artificial Intelligence Development and Cooperation Center， the BRICS Deep-Sea Resources International Research Center， the China Center for Cooperation on Development of Special Economic Zones in BRICS Countries， the China Center for BRICS Industrial Competencies and the BRICS Digital Ecosystem Cooperation Network， in the BRICS’ commitment to innovation， as well as the BRICS digital education cooperation and the capacity-building program for BRICS digital education， in the BRICS’ commitment to people-to-people exchanges. On the other hand， we need to further tap into the existing mechanisms and platforms to enhance functional cooperation and boost high-quality development of the BRICS cooperation. For example， we should fully leverage on the BRICS Partnership on New Industrial Revolution Innovation Center to well carry out policy coordination， talent cultivation， and project development surrounding the BRICS new industries. We should also act on the provisions of the Kazan Declaration on partnership on new industrial revolution to further substantiate and strengthen the positioning of Xiamen BRICS Innovation Center.

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Lin Hongyu is Professor at the College of International Relations of Huaqiao University