2017 BRICS Think Tank Symposium was held in Beijing.

 

2017 BRICS Think Tank Symposium on the theme of “Strengthening Financial Cooperation and Promoting BRICS Development” was held at Renmin University of China on March 22th, 2017. The symposium was hosted by China Council for BRICS Think-Tank Cooperation (CCBTC) and Renmin University of China (RUC), and organized by Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China (RDCY).

 

This is the first think tank symposium among BRICS countries following the 9th BRICS Summit’s first Sherpas Meeting held in Nanjing in 2017. More than 300 participants, including foreign diplomats to China from BRICS countries, and representatives from business, academy, and media, gathered at The symposium to mark the beginning of the China moment of the BRICS think tanks.

 

Liu Yuanchun, Vice President of RUC, Wang Xiaolong, Special Envoy for BRICS Affairs, Luan Jianzhang, Secretary General of CCBTC and Director General of Research Office at International Department of the Central Committee Communist Party of China, and Chen Xin, Vice President of  CCBTC and President of Guangdong University of Technology, attended the symposium and delivered the opening remarks. Dolana Msimang, Ambassador of South African Embassy in Beijing, George Zinoviev, Minister Counselor of Russian Embassy in China, Amit Narang, Deputy Chief of Mission at Indian Embassy in Beijing, Carlos Henrique Angrisani Santana, a representative of Brazilian ambassador to China, Zhao Jinping, Research fellow and Director-General of the Research Department of Foreign Economic Relations at Development Research Center of the State Council (DRC), and Zhou Qiangwu, Director of International Economics and Finance Institute of the Ministry of Finance, delivered keynote speeches at the opening ceremony.

 

 

Liu Yuanchun, Vice President of RUC, delivers a speech at the symposium. 

Liu Yuanchun pointed out that BRICS mechanism set a good example for the cooperation of emerging and developing countries. As the globalization faces great challenges, BRICS has the responsibility to provide new impetus for the development of the world, shoulder the mission of building the community of human destiny, and find new idea and mechanism for the cooperation among countries.

 

 

Wang Xiaolong, Special Envoy for BRICS Affairs, delivers a speech at the symposium.

 

Wang Xiaolong said that facing a situation that both uncertainty and instability increase in the world, the BRICS has become an important stabilizing force in the international structure by focusing on the economic and social development within the mechanism and win-win cooperation with other countries. As the chair of the BRICS in 2017, China will make effort to build a more extensive partnership and open the second "golden decade" of the BRICS cooperation by deepening cooperation, promoting common development, strengthening global governance, jointly coping with the challenges, enhancing the culture exchanges, consolidating the basis of public opinion, and pushing forward the construction of BRICS.

 

 

Luan Jianzhang, Secretary General of CCBTC, delivers a speech at the symposium.

 

Luan Jianzhang noted that in order to support the Ninth BRICS leaders summit this year, China had established the BRICS Think-Tank Cooperation Council to strengthen the research of the BRICS. He hoped that the Symposium can help BRICS think tanks deepen the cooperation and form a research community so as to offer advice and suggestions for the development of the BRICS.

 

Chen Xin, Vice President of  CCBTC and President of Guangdong University of Technology, delivers a speech at the symposium.

 

Chen Xin said that globalization remains the main direction of future economic development. China is committed to pushing forward the development of the economic globalization. For that reason, during the research on BRICS cooperation and the “Belt and Road Initiative”, China not only strived to make breakthrough on trade, finance, and infrastructure policy, but also promoted the integration of the industry and the culture so as to realize the comprehensive economic integration, Chen noted.

 

Dolana Msimang, Ambassador of South African Embassy in Beijing, delivers a speech at the symposium.

 

Dolana Msimang mentioned that BRICS cooperation mechanism is an important platform which pursues an effective and equitable world order while bringing the economic interests to the member countries. She emphasized that BRICS countries need to further strengthen their cooperation and made a common voice on the international stage.

 

George Zinoviev, Minister Counselor of Russian Embassy in China, delivers a speech at the symposium.

 

George Zinoviev said that over the past few years the BRICS New Development Bank has identified seven investment projects, and the cooperation within the framework of BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement has also been initiated. He believed that these two mechanisms can play an important role in the international monetary and financial system.

 

 

Amit Narang, Deputy Chief of Mission at Indian Embassy in Beijing, delivers a speech at the symposium.

 

Amit Narang believed that the second decade of the BRICS will open a new path of development and build a new global cooperation mode. He emphasized that India supports China’s effort in deepening the cooperation among the BRICS countries as the chair of the BRICS this year.

 

 

Carlos Henrique Angrisani Santana, a representative of Brazilian ambassador to China, delivers a speech at the symposium.

Carlos Henrique Angrisani Santana said that Brazil will pay more attention on the discussion to the financial issues on the upcoming 9th BRICS Leaders Summit held in China. He pointed out that the World Band needs to improve the cooperation of the member countries, share more knowledge-sharing and provide more loan concessions for the developing countries.

 

 

Zhao Jinping, Research fellow and Director-General of DRC, delivers a speech at the symposium.

Zhao Jinping hoped that this year`s BRICS leaders summit can strongly boost the cooperation among the countries. He pointed out that the BRICS countries should grasp the cooperation opportunities provided by China-proposed “Belt and Road” initiative to promote the economic growth together.

 

 

Zhou Qiangwu, Director of International Economics and Finance Institute of the Ministry of Finance, delivers a speech at the symposium.

 

Zhou Qiangwu gave several piece of suggestions on the future development and cooperation of the BRICS, including strengthening the development confidence, deepening the financial cooperation, and promoting the think tanks cooperation of BRICS countries.

 

Wang Wen, Executive Dean of RDCY, presides over the symposium.

 

Wang Wen briefed the elaborate arrangement of the symposium to the media. He said that after the opening ceremony, the symposium set up three close-door panels on the theme of “Global Economic Governance and Role of BRICS”, “BRICS’ Financial Cooperation: Process Assessment and Future Prospective”, and “BRICS’ Financial Cooperation and China”, aiming to reach the consensus on the BRICS cooperation against the backdrop of the “Belt and Road”.

 

The symposium was considered as the warm-up event of the 9th BRICS Summit, which will be held in Xiamen in southeast China’s Fujian Province from September 3rd to 5th.