(Reuters) – Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, has called for joint efforts to address global security challenges, Chinese state-run media agency Xinhua reported on Tuesday.
Wang made the remarks at the 13th Meeting of BRICS National Security Advisers and High Representatives on National Security in Johannesburg, South Africa, Xinhua said.
BRICS is an acronym for five emerging economies – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
China named the veteran diplomat its new foreign minister on Tuesday, removing former rising star Qin Gang after a mysterious one-month absence from his duties barely half a year into the job.
Qin’s successor Wang was also his predecessor, holding the post from 2013-2022 as ties with the United States frayed to a point Beijing described as an all-time low.
Wang, who is also the director of the Office of the CPC Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, called to resist external intervention and safeguard political security.
He also highlighted the need to abide by the purposes and principles of the United Nations (UN) Charter, respecting all countries’ legitimate security concerns and their right to choose their political systems and development paths, Xinhua reported.
Wang said efforts should be made to resolve disputes and differences through dialogue and consultation, while acts of “decoupling” and “double standards” should be opposed.
He also underlined common security and opposed zero-sum thinking and the Cold War mentality.
China is willing to work with its BRICS partners to carry out more practical cooperation in addressing international security challenges, Wang said, according to Xinhua.
At the meeting, member nations agreed to carry forward the BRICS spirit, support multilateralism, oppose unilateral sanctions and jointly cope with global challenges, including terrorism, extremism and cross-border crime, Xinhua added.
(Reporting by Roushni Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Pooja Desai)
