On October 16, 2016 local time, the 8th BRICS Summit was held in Goa, India. President Xi Jinping, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, President Jacob Zuma of South Africa, President Michel Temer of Brazil and President Vladimir Putin of Russia attended the summit. Focusing on the theme of “Building Responsive, Inclusive and Collective Solutions”, leaders of the five countries exchanged in-depth views on BRICS cooperation and other international and regional issues of common concern, reaching extensive consensus.

Xi Jinping delivered an important speech titled “Cement Confidence and Seek Common Development”, spoke positively of the fruitful results from the 10-year-long development of the BRICS cooperation and put forward initiatives for BRICS countries to cope with challenges brought by the international environment together, emphasizing that China is willing to join hands with all parties in planning the new blueprint for BRICS countries’ development and believes that the BRICS cooperation will strongly facilitate world peace, stability and prosperity.

Xi Jinping pointed out that this year marks the 10th anniversary since the establishment of the BRICS cooperation. The past decade has witnessed both hard work and harvests. The BRICS cooperation has been gradually consolidated, grown into an international mechanism of major influence and yielded fruitful results. It has been a decade of seeking common development and forging ahead. We have gained outstanding achievements by sticking to prioritizing development and focusing on economic development and livelihood improvement. It has been a decade of expanding cooperation, mutual benefit and win-win results. We have been endeavoring to build an all-round and multi-level cooperation framework with constantly expanding cooperation fields, improving cooperation mechanisms and emerging cooperation results. It has been a decade of taking responsibilities and making differences. We have together coped with the impact brought by the international financial crises, spoken out together on important international and regional issues, actively promoted the reform on the global economic governance and greatly enhanced the representativeness and voice of emerging market countries and developing countries. During the past decade, BRICS countries have contributed to over 50 percent of world economic growth.

Xi Jinping emphasized that currently, BRICS countries are facing a complicated and severe external environment. We must cement confidence to deal with challenges together. We should contribute the wisdom and strength of BRICS countries to find ways to counter the difficulties together.

First, build an open world together. We should push forward structural reform, break a new path for growth, develop open economy, stand against any form of protectionism and take the big market in economy and trade, full circulation in finance, absolute connectivity in infrastructure and great people-to-people and cultural exchanges as starting points to walk in the forefront of international opening up and cooperation.

Second, map out a shared development vision. We shall continue to hold high the banner of development, combine the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and outcomes from the G20 Hangzhou Summit and enhance North-South dialogue and South-South cooperation to push for the robust, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth of the global economy.

Third, cope with global challenges together. We need to strengthen coordination and communication on major international issues and regional hotspot issues, facilitate the political solution of hotspot issues and take joint efforts in addressing global problems such as natural disasters, climate change, epidemic outbreak and terrorism to make contributions to the long-lasting security and stability of the international community.

Fourth, safeguard fairness and justice together. We should continue to be participants, facilitators and leaders of the transformation process of global governance, continue to elevate the representativeness and voice of emerging market countries and developing countries, continue to be guardians of international peace, and promote the establishment of a new type of international relations of win-win cooperation.

Fifth, jointly deepen partnerships among BRICS countries. We should take the implementation of the Strategy for BRICS Economic Partnerships as an opportunity to deepen and expand economic cooperation in various fields, well establish, maintain and develop the two mechanisms of the New Development Bank and the Contingent Reserve Arrangement, enhance people-to-people and cultural exchanges, continue to expand and consolidate the friend circle of BRICS countries, maintain openness and inclusiveness and pursue common development.

Xi Jinping emphasized that China, as a staunch supporter and participant of the BRICS mechanism, regards the BRICS cooperation as an important direction of its diplomacy. China believes that the BRICS cooperation will strongly boost global peace, stability and prosperity. Since China will host the 9th BRICS Summit next year, the country will join efforts with other BRICS members to draw up a new development blueprint for BRICS countries.

Narendra Modi said that since the establishment of the BRICS cooperation mechanism 10 years ago, it has made significant contributions to boosting the prosperity of the world economy and lifting the status of developing countries. Under the new circumstances, BRICS countries should continue to make joint efforts to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and play a bigger role within major multilateral frameworks such as the G20 and the WTO. India calls on BRICS countries to enhance cooperation in economy, trade, investment, finance, agriculture, urbanization, infrastructure, security and other fields and step up the construction of relevant mechanisms.

Jacob Zuma said that the population of the five BRICS countries accounts for nearly half of the world population. If all members can forge a synergy, they can advance global economic development and improve the quality of people’s livelihood. South Africa holds that BRICS countries should launch cooperation in fields including water resources, digital economy, investment, financing, innovation, small-and medium-sized enterprises, outer space, deep sea, and cyberspace and intensify people-to-people and cultural exchanges. BRICS countries should mobilize the international society to pay more attention to and help those disadvantaged groups prone to climate change and economic crisis.

Michel Temer expressed that since BRICS countries face similar challenges, all parties should make joint efforts to overcome current difficulties. Brazil stands for trade and investment facilitation among BRICS countries as well as a stronger cooperative partnership in finance, science and technology, environment, people-to-people and cultural engagement and others, so that people of BRICS countries can fully sense the benefits brought by cooperation.

Vladimir Putin expressed that the development of and cooperation among BRICS countries play an important role in global economic recovery. All sides should well implement the Strategy for BRICS Economic Partnerships adopted last year at the Ufa Summit and enhance cooperation in such fields as renewable energy, finance, trade, investment, e-commerce, health and education. Russia calls for combined efforts of BRICS countries in pushing forward the reform on global economic and financial governance.

During the small-scale meeting held prior to the summit, Xi Jinping announced that China will take over the rotating presidency of the BRICS in 2017 and hold the 9th BRICS Summit in September next year in Xiamen, Fujian Province. Xi Jinping stressed that China looks forward to working with all parties to jointly well implement consensus of previous summits, deepen partnerships and write a new chapter for the BRICS cooperation. Attending leaders expressed that they will offer full support to China in hosting the Xiamen Summit.

After the meeting, heads of state of the five BRICS countries jointly witnessed the signing of Memorandum of Understanding for Establishment of BRICS Agricultural Research Platform, Regulations on Customs Cooperation Committee of the BRICS, Memorandum of Understanding on Mutual Cooperation between Diplomatic Academies and other cooperation documents as well as attended a joint press conference.

The Goa Declaration was issued by the meeting.

On the same day, Xi Jinping attended a dialogue between BRICS leaders and representatives of the BRICS Business Council. Xi Jinping pointed out in his speech that due to the comprehensive influence of internal and external factors, BRICS countries have seen weak economic growth and are facing new challenges in development. Meanwhile, the five countries still maintain potential and a competitive edge in such aspects as resource, market and labor force, enjoying a promising prospect in long-term development. After ten years of development, the BRICS cooperation has entered into a new phase, facing not only challenges but more opportunities. It is hoped that business circles of BRICS countries will seize the opportunities and continue to actively participate in and promote economic cooperation among BRICS countries, so as to shore up confidence, push for reform and innovation, boost practical cooperation and make greater contribution to creating a bright future for common development of BRICS countries. President of the New Development Bank reported to leaders of the five countries about the progress of the bank.

The leaders of the five countries also took a group photo with captains of under-17 juvenile football teams from five BRICS countries.

Wang Huning, Li Zhanshu, Yang Jiechi, Zhou Xiaochuan and others attended above activities.