BEIJING: China on Tuesday called on all countries of the five-member BRICS bloc to unite and "do the right thing" in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, amid mounting pressure from the US and other countries on Beijing over the origins of the coronavirus.
With its rapid spread in many parts of the world, the COVID-19 has put the lives and health of people around the world under grave threat, seriously disrupted the flow of people worldwide and the global economy, and posed a severe challenge to BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) countries, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said while speaking at a video conference of the BRICS' foreign ministers.
"Should we let science and reason prevail or create political divisions, bolster cooperation across borders or isolate ourselves through decoupling, promote multilateral coordination or practice unilateralism? We all need to answer these questions in a way that stands the test of history," said Wang, who is also the State Councillor.
While US President Donald Trump has stepped up calls for a probe into the origin of coronavirus, which emerged first from Wuhan, Britain, Australia and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have called for more transparency from Beijing on COVID-19 origins.
China says the origin of the virus is a matter of science and should be studied by scientists and professionals. Wang said as representatives of major emerging countries with global influence, the BRICS countries much act in the interest of the well-being of humankind, and stand by justice and equity.
"We must make the right call and do the right thing. We must work together to sustain a peaceful and stable international environment and foster brighter prospects for win-win progress," he was quoted as saying by the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Wang called on all BRICS countries to stand firm by multilateralism, by the UN-centred international system and by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. Trump has withdrawn over USD 400 million funding for the World Health Organisation (WHO), accusing it of backing China in "cover-up and underreporting" of coronavirus cases.
For its part, China which has announced USD 30 million additional funding to the WHO has staunchly defended its role and the health agency's Director General Dr General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. "We need to champion the approach of consultation and cooperation for shared benefits in governance, and take the lead in advancing global governance reform along the right direction," Wang said.
He called on BRICS countries to safeguard through the joint efforts the legitimate rights and interests and space for development "not just for ourselves but also for all other emerging market and developing countries".
Wang asked the countries to enhance coordination on macroeconomic policies to curb recession, create jobs, protect livelihoods and stabilise the global economy. He also called for sustaining coordination to keep up the secure and smooth functioning of global industrial and supply chains. "The sudden onslaught of COVID-19 reminds us once again that our interests are closely entwined and so are our futures," Wang said.
He said that a challenge that respects no border and makes no distinction of ethnicity has only made global governance more important, not less.
In response to some arguments that the world will never be the same again after the COVID-19, Wang said China's strategic assessment was that the pandemic will not change the theme of the times which remains peace and development.
He called on countries to bear in mind both immediate needs and longer-term objectives and promote both their own interests and global well-being. The conference also discussed the activities to be undertaken under Russian BRICS Chairmanship in 2020. It was chaired by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Besides India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, the conference was attended by Wang, Brazilian Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo and South Africa's Minister for International Cooperation Grace Naledi Pandor.
The BRICS represents over 3.6 billion people, or half of the world population and has a combined GDP of USD 16.6 trillion.