Brics meet on cities, local govts kicks off in China

Aiming to boost communication between local governments and further promote ties between cities, Brics, comprising of the world's five major emerging economies -- Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa --, today met in the Chinese beach-side resort of Sanya.

Politicians, scholars and business people from the five Brics countries will meet at the two-day first Brics Friendship Cities and Local Governments Cooperation Forum to foster further communications and discuss shared concerns amid global uncertainties.

India was represented by diplomats from here as some of the mayors of Indian cities who were scheduled to attend it have not come.

The decision to hold this forum was announced at the Brics summit in April this year, when leaders of the five nations jointly issued a declaration to seek shared prosperity.

Under the theme of "Broad Vision, Shared Prosperity, Developing Friendship Cities, Promoting Cooperation," the forum is expected to bring together Brics cities with regular meetings to foster closer ties and boost local-level cooperation.

"The forum is expected to create a platform to boost communication between local governments and further promote ties between Brics sister cities," said Lu Yongxiang, a senior Chinese legislator at the opening ceremony.

The Brics countries have played a significant role in maintaining world peace, safety and stability.

They have also contributed to global growth, multilateralism, and democratisation of international relations, Lu, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress said.

"Promoting common prosperity has become an especially urgent and important task in the face of  all the current global uncertainties," state run Xinhua news agency quoted him as saying.

Chinese cities now have established 1,817 sister-city agreements with foreign cities and states, of which 167 were from the Brics countries.