BRICS was established 10 years ago. In the past decade， with strong guidance from the state leaders of these five countries， it has grown from nothing into an exuberant tree. The vitality of BRICS lies largely in its spirits： open， inclusive， cooperative， and win-win. This year marks the beginning of its second decade. On this occasion， China takes over the rotating presidency， and would like to work together， just as before， with all other member states to embrace the next “golden decade.”We are willing to do our bit for world stability and peace as well as the sound development of multilateralism.

— Wang Yi， Chinas Foreign Minister， during his speech at the opening of the Meeting of BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs on June 19， 2017.

The Brazilian side attaches great importance to BRICS cooperation， and regards it as an important mechanism and platform to promote the progress of multi-polarity and economic globalization. The country is willing to make contributions to BRICS cooperation. The Brazilian side will offer full support for China in hosting the BRICS Summit in Xiamen and will play an active role in promoting Chinas cooperation with Latin American and Caribbean countries.

— Aloysio Nunes， Brazils Foreign Minister， at the Second China-Brazil Foreign Ministerial-level Comprehensive Strategic Dialogue on June 16， 2017.

Ten years ago， when the BRICS countries made their debut as an organization in the international arena， many people were skeptical about this partnership. As time went on， peoples opinions have changed due to the amazing performance that BRICS has maintained. In the next decade， much more can be expected of it， and the New Development Bank （NDB） will develop from an exclusive bank for the BRICS into an international one.

— Paulo Nogueira Batista Jr.， vice president of the New Development Bank， during an interview with the Xinhua News Agency on June 19， 2017.

India and China are two ancient civilizations， and both are also developing countries. India attaches great importance to its relations with China， and is willing to， under the guidance of mutual consensus， maintain high-level exchanges with China， cooperate with China in various areas， and handle our disagreements properly.

— Vijay Kumar Singh， Indias Minister of State for External Affairs， during his speech at the Meeting of BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs on June 18， 2017.

South Africa and China are close friends and brothers. In recent years， under the guidance of the two heads of state， strategic mutual trust between South Africa and China has been constantly enhanced， practical cooperation has been earnestly promoted， and people-to-people and cultural exchanges have experienced multiple climaxes. South Africa looks forward to joining hands with China to propel the implementation of the outcomes from the Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation （FOCAC）， and constantly elevate bilateral relations to new highs.endprint

— Maite Nkoana-Mashabane， South Africas Minister of International Relations and Cooperation， during her attendance at the Meeting of BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs on June 18， 2017.

There is increasing uncertainty and instability on the international landscape， it is highly significant that we hold this BRICS meeting in China. This meeting will boost the strategic cooperation between the BRICS countries， especially between Russia and China. We will safeguard the international system based on the UN Charter and the generally recognized principles of international law to boost the development and prosperity of emerging countries， and to maintain world peace and stability.

— Sergei Lavrov， Russias Foreign Minister， during his attendance at the Meeting of BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs on June 18， 2017.

BRICS is an important economic organization. The population of the five BRICS countries accounts for over 40 percent of the worlds total， they account for 20 percent of the worlds GDP， and the cereals these countries produce form one third of the entire global production. Meanwhile， BRICS plays an important political role in the international arena. The BRICS countries attach importance to sharing， and maintain close cooperation. They play an increasingly important role in promoting food security， eradicating poverty， and achieving the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals（SDGs）.

— Kundhavi Kadiresan， FAO assistant director-general and regional representative for Asia and the Pacific， during her speech at the Seventh Meeting of the BRICS Ministers of Agriculture， in Nanjing， China on June 16， 2017.

Development relies on and should benefit the people. BRICS cooperation needs to mobilize people from all sectors of society because only in this way will this mechanism grow strong. Staying concerted is the foundation as well as the goal of BRICS cooperation.

— Mauro Pereira， representative of the leader of the Party of the Brazilian Democratic Movement （PMDB）， at the BRICS Political Parties， Think-tanks and Civil Society Organizations Forum in Fuzhou， June 2017.

The BRICS countries need to have more dialogues to gain more consensuses and to promote their cooperation. As the governing party of South Africa， the African National Congress（ANC） attaches great importance to“BRICS Plus.” We think that BRICS should have more members and broader influence. China and South Africa should work to promote solidarity among our five member states and gain more international recognition of the BRICS cooperation.

— Jessie Duarte， ANC Deputy Secretary General， during the BRICS Political Parties， Think-tanks， and Civil Society Organizations Forum in Fuzhou， June 2017.endprint