Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is continuing the trade war with the United States, strongly criticized the U.S. during the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) summit video conference on the 8th, stating that "the tariff war is seriously undermining international trade rules."
Recently, at the 80th anniversary military parade celebrating the victory in the Chinese People's Anti-Japanese War and the World Anti-Fascist War in Beijing, Xi, who gathered leaders from North Korea and Russia to showcase an anti-Western alliance, urged BRICS nations to unite against the United States.
According to the state-run Xinhua News Agency, Xi attended the meeting via video at the invitation of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, noting that "hegemony, unilateralism, and protectionism are rampant in the world," and that "some countries are repeatedly initiating trade and tariff wars, shocking the global economy and undermining international trade rules." Although there was no direct mention, it is interpreted as a remark effectively aimed at the United States.
He also suggested that "at this important time, BRICS nations should safeguard multilateralism and the multilateral trading system at the forefront of the Global South, predominantly emerging and developing countries in the southern hemisphere," advocating for the adherence to three principles: multilateralism, openness and mutual benefit, and unity and cooperation. He continued, stating, "To strike iron, one must be solid oneself," emphasizing that the closer BRICS countries cooperate, the greater their confidence, methods, and effectiveness become in responding to external risks and challenges.
BRICS is a cooperation body consisting of China, Brazil, Russia, India, and South Africa, which expanded its membership last year to include Ethiopia, Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Argentina. Although Xi did not attend the summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in July, he participated in this meeting via video. Meanwhile, he invited Kim Jong Un, the North Korean leader, and Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, to the 80th anniversary military parade on the 3rd, successfully facilitating a meeting between the leaders of North Korea, China, and Russia. This marks the first event of its kind in 66 years since 1959, and is evaluated as revealing Xi's leadership in the 'anti-Western alliance.'