At BRICS, Xi Jinping slams US for imposing sanctions on Russia; 'Double-edged sword'

Chinese President Xi Jinping bashed the Western-imposed sanctions that have been imposed on Moscow in the backdrop of its "special military operations". He called the sanctions "a double-edged sword" that can bring disasters to people around the world. Notably, his statement came during an opening ceremony of the BRICS Business Forum on Wednesday. According to the news agency Xinhua, the Chinese President has termed the sanctions a "politicised" step and added the actions were taken with an aim to weaponise the global economy.

Without naming the Biden administration, Jinping said that the sanctions were not imposed with an intention to penalise Moscow but to prove its dominance in international financial and monetary systems. According to China's head, the actions will eventually harm others and themselves and bring disasters to people around the world. Meanwhile, later, Xi Jinping called for joint efforts to seek and safeguard peace. "The Ukraine crisis has again sounded the alarm for humanity: Countries will surely end up in security hardships if they place blind faith in their positions of strength, expand military alliances, and seek their own safety at the expense of others," said Xi.

Further, he urged the international community to abandon the zero-sum game and jointly oppose hegemony and power politics-- potentially pointing fingers at the United States. He called the world leaders to rearrange the order by building a new type of international relations that feature mutual respect, equity and justice, and mutually beneficial cooperation.  

BRICS has become a common platform for member nations to discuss mutual concerns

Notably, the BRICS summit is due to be held on June 23-24 with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and leaders of Brazil and South Africa. Though the Indian PM and Putin had held several telephonic conversations after the onset of the war, this would be the first time when the trio -- India, China, and Russian leaders-- would meet on a common platform along with other BRICS leaders. It is worth mentioning that BRICS has become a platform for discussing and deliberating on issues of common concern for all developing countries. BRICS countries have regularly called for reform of the multilateral system in order to make it more representative and inclusive.

Image: AP