Chinese President Xi Jinping yesterday criticized the "abuse" of international sanctions, while Russian leader Vladimir Putin reprimanded the West for fueling the global crisis. Both leaders called for greater cooperation between the BRICS countries.
Xi called on Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) to shoulder their responsibilities as economic powers and said they should push for a truly multinational international system based on the United Nations.
"We must abandon the Cold War mentality and block confrontation and oppose unilateral sanctions - and the abuse of sanctions," Xi said at the BRICS summit.
"Our meeting today comes at a crucial moment of choice for the future of humanity: as key emerging markets and developing countries, the BRICS countries must take responsibility," Xi said.
Xi's comments are a reflection of China's tacit support for Russia in the war with Ukraine and its desire to form an international alliance against the liberal democratic order led by the USA, the AP agency assesses.
The BRICS summit comes amid heightened concerns over the global economic outlook and a growing political divide between China and India.
China is by far the largest economy in the BRICS grouping, and accounts for more than 70 percent of the group's collective economic power of $27,5 trillion.
Putin called for stronger cooperation between the BRICS countries and criticized the West for fueling the crisis.
"Only on the basis of honest and mutually beneficial cooperation can we look for ways to get out of the crisis situation that has arisen in the global economy due to the thoughtless and selfish actions of individual states," said Putin.
He accused the West of "using financial mechanisms" to "transfer its own mistakes in macroeconomic policy to the whole world."
The Russian leader claims that relations with China are better than ever and praises the strategic partnership with the country aimed at countering US influence.
US President Joe Biden says the West is stuck in a fight with autocratic governments like China and Russia.
The US and European powers point to Putin's decision to attack Ukraine as the reason why relations with the West have fallen to their lowest level since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, including the harshest sanctions in modern history.
Putin, however, claims that the West wants to destroy Russia and that economic sanctions are tantamount to a declaration of economic war and that Russia will build relations with other countries such as China and India.
China refused to condemn the Russian invasion and criticized the sanctions imposed on Moscow. India bought huge quantities of Russian oil at a discounted price, and South Africa abstained from condemning Russia's actions in a vote at the United Nations.
The BRICS grouping was founded in 2009, when these countries were considered a potential engine for future global economic growth.
Since then, the economies of South Africa and Brazil have fallen into crisis, China's growth has declined significantly, and Russia has become embroiled in the invasion of Ukraine and punitive measures imposed by the West. Meanwhile, China and India have been fighting over a disputed border and New Delhi's defense partnership. with the USA, Japan and Australia in the QUAD group.
Bonus video:
