President to address key multilateral meetings

President Xi Jinping addresses a grand gathering on Thursday to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the development and opening-up of Shanghai's Pudong New Area. [Wang Zhuangfei/China Daily] 

President Xi Jinping will take part in a series of key multilateral meetings next week, which observers said are likely to reaffirm the need to uphold international solidarity in the battle against COVID-19 as well as multilateral cooperation to help recover the sluggish global economy.

Xi will participate in the 12th BRICS Summit on Tuesday, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Thursday. BRICS brings together the emerging markets of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Xi will also take part in the 27th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders' Meeting on Friday, Hua said.

On Nov 21 and 22, he will participate in the 15th Group of 20 Summit, she said.

All of the meetings will be held via video link, and Xi will deliver important speeches, Hua added.

At a news conference on Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said that Xi's participation in the meetings will demonstrate the great importance China attaches to global economic governance.

Xi will fully explain China's positions and put forward the country's proposals on strengthening international cooperation, Wang said.

Given the current international landscape, the three multilateral meetings will play a guiding role in strengthening global cooperation in fighting the pandemic, pushing for world economic recovery, improving global economic governance and advancing regional economic cooperation, he added.

The events, which have been postponed due to COVID-19, come as the virus is still raging in the world. The International Monetary Fund estimated that world economic growth could see a 4.9 percent contraction in 2020, and China will be the only country to register positive growth.

The meetings are also part of intensive multilateral diplomacy by Xi, after the Communist Party of China Central Committee's proposals for the country's new development blueprint were issued last week.

Xi participated in the 20th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization via video link on Tuesday, when he briefed fellow SCO leaders about China's new "dual-circulation" development pattern and reiterated that the country remains committed to opening-up and welcomes all countries to capitalize on its development opportunities.

Analysts said that China might also use the upcoming meetings to introduce the development pattern and reiterate its commitment to all-round opening-up.