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With the theme of “Stronger Partnership for a Brighter Future，”the Ninth BRICS Summit will be held in China’s picturesque city of Xiamen in southeast China’s Fujian Province in September. ChinAfrica interviewed Dolana Msimang， Ambassador of South Africa to China， to get her views on how this summit will strengthen the BRICS partnership and gain a deeper insight into South Africa’s participation in the increasingly important role BRICS is playing in her own country and Africa as a whole. Edited excerpts of her views follow：
ChinAfrica： How does South Africa regard and evaluate the BRICS mechanism？ Dolana Msimang： South Africa regards the BRICS mechanism as providing catalytic impetus to its core foreign policy priorities， such as promoting the African Union’s agenda and the [UN’s] 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development， advocating for global governance reforms， and embodying South-South cooperation and solidarity in a spirit of mutually beneficial collaboration.
In essence， BRICS provides an alternative voice to international economic and political situations whilst strengthening the global order and upholding the principle of multilateralism and the centrality of the United Nations. To date， the formation has accomplished many tasks it had set out， notably by creating its first financial institutions， namely the New Development Bank （NDB） and the Contingent Reserve Arrangement （CRA）， as well as in contributing to the resolution of global political and economic challenges. If one considers the context of BRICS and what it has achieved， then we can say it has been a resounding success.
What has South Africa benefited from this mechanism？ Through its participation in BRICS， South Africa is afforded an opportunity to collaborate with strong， likeminded international partners.
South Africa has worked with partners to affirm and achieve domestic， regional as well as global developmental objectives， particularly in reference to the goals of our National Development Plan， our continent’s Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We are in the unique position with India and Brazil of being able to engage on issues of global governance reform， including the reform of the United Nations with two permanent members of the UN Security Council.
The first regional office of the NDB， namely the Africa Regional Center， which came into operation in August in Johannesburg， will also have a tangible impact on the industrial development objectives of South Africa， the Southern African region and the continent more broadly， which definitely benefits from South Africa’s participation in BRICS and support from its BRICS partners. South Africa has historically had strong bilateral ties with our fellow BRICS members， and， since joining the group， we have seen a complementary interaction between this multilateral cooperation and the existing bilateral cooperation. Our economic relations have also been substantially enhanced， as seen in the investment from BAIC Group in the Coega Industrial Development Zone to build the first new auto plant in 40 years. How do you see the role of NDB？ The institution building agenda of BRICS， which also signals the political commitment of its members， has witnessed the establishment of its first financial institutions， namely the NDB and CRA. That these institutions have been finalized within a decade of cooperation speaks highly to our commitment to the impactful purpose of BRICS.
The NDB is striving to be an integral part of the solution to some key infrastructure development challenges facing its membership.
Responding to the Fourth Industrial Revolution’s challenges， leveraging human capital and technology in all the NDB’s operations will become critical.
The NDB will hence establish complementary and collaborative relationships with all like-minded institutions and have already concluded multiple memoranda of cooperation with such institutions， e.g. the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank （AIIB）， the European Investment Bank and the World Bank. All BRICS members are founding members of new generation financial institutions such as the NDB and AIIB.
As a BRICS member， as well as a supporter of the Belt and Road Initiative， how does South Africa see the relationship between the BRICS mechanism and this initiative？ The value of BRICS， for all members， is the creation of an interconnected as well as trans-continental cooperation partnership. All the BRICS declarations， from Sanya to Goa， speak of crafting a more globalized world， where there is equal opportunity and mutual benefit. South Africa views the Belt and Road Initiative as a catalyst for furthering global trade and investment， especially in light of the reemergence of protectionist tendencies. The trans-continental dimension of the Belt and Road Initiatives can only broaden the scope for trade and investment in critical sectors of development and bring about sustainable and inclusive growth.
The transformative nature of BRICS and the Belt and Road Initiative aligns with the African Union’s call for the development of the continent through the New Partnership for Africa’s Development and Agenda 2063.
Regional integration is set to benefit from the Belt and Road Initiative. In 2015， the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa， East African Community and Southern African Development Community signed a tripartite free trade agreement. This brought together three regional economic communities and 28 African countries under a single market umbrella， toward creating enduring intra-Africa trade through market integration， infrastructure development and industrial development， of which the North-South tripartite regional corridors - the Dar es Salaam Corridor， the Trans-Kalahari Corridor and Nacala Corridor - further enhance connectivity and competitiveness in Africa. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi proposed a“BRICS+” mechanism to engage the “friends’circle” of BRICS. What is your take on this？ The proposed idea of “BRICS+” mechanism is essential to the growth of the BRICS mechanism for countries interested in the exchange of knowledge and fostering greater cooperation between countries. In our understanding， “BRICS+” is a continuation of the Outreach mechanism introduced first at the eThekwini Summit in South Africa in 2013.
South Africa warmly welcomes the progression of the Outreach mechanism to galvanize not only the energies of BRICS members， but also our partners around the world， and especially those of the Global South， emerging markets and developing countries. The interaction with regional organizations， such as the AU and the Eurasian Economic Union， brought dynamism to the BRICS Outreach mechanism. This initiative affords us a unique opportunity to exchange views with other global leaders on issues of common interest.
What are your expectations for the upcoming Ninth BRICS Summit in Xiamen？ Although the summit is the pinnacle event of the calendar year， we know that China’s creative energy in its chairpersonship ensured the success of the various meetings and events already held， aimed at laying a solid foundation for the Ninth BRICS Summit. China also introduced a new initiative and hosted the first stand-alone Meeting of BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs and International Relations in June， where minsters deliberated on planning for this summit.
It is these developments which give credence to the theme of the summit for this year， which is “BRICS： Stronger Partnership for a Brighter Future.”South Africa will， of course， assume the chairpersonship of BRICS from China and host the milestone 10th BRICS Summit and the various events and meetings in 2018. As the incoming chair， we will strive for a seamless transition between our successive chairpersonships for all partners and build on the work of China and indeed all our BRICS partners before. We fully intend to continue amplifying the various productive initiatives that were undertaken this year.
In conclusion， South Africa congratulates China for its sterling chairpersonship. South Africa offers its full support in contributing toward successful outcomes for the Xiamen Summit and the attainment of the chairperson’s objectives in this regard.
ChinAfrica： How does South Africa regard and evaluate the BRICS mechanism？ Dolana Msimang： South Africa regards the BRICS mechanism as providing catalytic impetus to its core foreign policy priorities， such as promoting the African Union’s agenda and the [UN’s] 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development， advocating for global governance reforms， and embodying South-South cooperation and solidarity in a spirit of mutually beneficial collaboration.
In essence， BRICS provides an alternative voice to international economic and political situations whilst strengthening the global order and upholding the principle of multilateralism and the centrality of the United Nations. To date， the formation has accomplished many tasks it had set out， notably by creating its first financial institutions， namely the New Development Bank （NDB） and the Contingent Reserve Arrangement （CRA）， as well as in contributing to the resolution of global political and economic challenges. If one considers the context of BRICS and what it has achieved， then we can say it has been a resounding success.
What has South Africa benefited from this mechanism？ Through its participation in BRICS， South Africa is afforded an opportunity to collaborate with strong， likeminded international partners.
South Africa has worked with partners to affirm and achieve domestic， regional as well as global developmental objectives， particularly in reference to the goals of our National Development Plan， our continent’s Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We are in the unique position with India and Brazil of being able to engage on issues of global governance reform， including the reform of the United Nations with two permanent members of the UN Security Council.
The first regional office of the NDB， namely the Africa Regional Center， which came into operation in August in Johannesburg， will also have a tangible impact on the industrial development objectives of South Africa， the Southern African region and the continent more broadly， which definitely benefits from South Africa’s participation in BRICS and support from its BRICS partners. South Africa has historically had strong bilateral ties with our fellow BRICS members， and， since joining the group， we have seen a complementary interaction between this multilateral cooperation and the existing bilateral cooperation. Our economic relations have also been substantially enhanced， as seen in the investment from BAIC Group in the Coega Industrial Development Zone to build the first new auto plant in 40 years. How do you see the role of NDB？ The institution building agenda of BRICS， which also signals the political commitment of its members， has witnessed the establishment of its first financial institutions， namely the NDB and CRA. That these institutions have been finalized within a decade of cooperation speaks highly to our commitment to the impactful purpose of BRICS.
The NDB is striving to be an integral part of the solution to some key infrastructure development challenges facing its membership.
Responding to the Fourth Industrial Revolution’s challenges， leveraging human capital and technology in all the NDB’s operations will become critical.
The NDB will hence establish complementary and collaborative relationships with all like-minded institutions and have already concluded multiple memoranda of cooperation with such institutions， e.g. the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank （AIIB）， the European Investment Bank and the World Bank. All BRICS members are founding members of new generation financial institutions such as the NDB and AIIB.
As a BRICS member， as well as a supporter of the Belt and Road Initiative， how does South Africa see the relationship between the BRICS mechanism and this initiative？ The value of BRICS， for all members， is the creation of an interconnected as well as trans-continental cooperation partnership. All the BRICS declarations， from Sanya to Goa， speak of crafting a more globalized world， where there is equal opportunity and mutual benefit. South Africa views the Belt and Road Initiative as a catalyst for furthering global trade and investment， especially in light of the reemergence of protectionist tendencies. The trans-continental dimension of the Belt and Road Initiatives can only broaden the scope for trade and investment in critical sectors of development and bring about sustainable and inclusive growth.
The transformative nature of BRICS and the Belt and Road Initiative aligns with the African Union’s call for the development of the continent through the New Partnership for Africa’s Development and Agenda 2063.
Regional integration is set to benefit from the Belt and Road Initiative. In 2015， the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa， East African Community and Southern African Development Community signed a tripartite free trade agreement. This brought together three regional economic communities and 28 African countries under a single market umbrella， toward creating enduring intra-Africa trade through market integration， infrastructure development and industrial development， of which the North-South tripartite regional corridors - the Dar es Salaam Corridor， the Trans-Kalahari Corridor and Nacala Corridor - further enhance connectivity and competitiveness in Africa. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi proposed a“BRICS+” mechanism to engage the “friends’circle” of BRICS. What is your take on this？ The proposed idea of “BRICS+” mechanism is essential to the growth of the BRICS mechanism for countries interested in the exchange of knowledge and fostering greater cooperation between countries. In our understanding， “BRICS+” is a continuation of the Outreach mechanism introduced first at the eThekwini Summit in South Africa in 2013.
South Africa warmly welcomes the progression of the Outreach mechanism to galvanize not only the energies of BRICS members， but also our partners around the world， and especially those of the Global South， emerging markets and developing countries. The interaction with regional organizations， such as the AU and the Eurasian Economic Union， brought dynamism to the BRICS Outreach mechanism. This initiative affords us a unique opportunity to exchange views with other global leaders on issues of common interest.
What are your expectations for the upcoming Ninth BRICS Summit in Xiamen？ Although the summit is the pinnacle event of the calendar year， we know that China’s creative energy in its chairpersonship ensured the success of the various meetings and events already held， aimed at laying a solid foundation for the Ninth BRICS Summit. China also introduced a new initiative and hosted the first stand-alone Meeting of BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs and International Relations in June， where minsters deliberated on planning for this summit.
It is these developments which give credence to the theme of the summit for this year， which is “BRICS： Stronger Partnership for a Brighter Future.”South Africa will， of course， assume the chairpersonship of BRICS from China and host the milestone 10th BRICS Summit and the various events and meetings in 2018. As the incoming chair， we will strive for a seamless transition between our successive chairpersonships for all partners and build on the work of China and indeed all our BRICS partners before. We fully intend to continue amplifying the various productive initiatives that were undertaken this year.
In conclusion， South Africa congratulates China for its sterling chairpersonship. South Africa offers its full support in contributing toward successful outcomes for the Xiamen Summit and the attainment of the chairperson’s objectives in this regard.