An exchange visit to a Chinese technology company has opened the door to a possible business partnership for an Iranian entrepreneur. After visiting SDIC Intelligence during a BRICS youth exchange program in southeast China's Fujian Province on Wednesday, the two sides reached a preliminary cooperation intention in just two days.

The encounter came during the 2026 BRICS Youth Leaders Campus on Science, Technology and Innovation, which brought young representatives from BRICS countries to Fuzhou and Xiamen from November 8 to 13. Participants visited tech companies in areas such as artificial intelligence, robotics and data security, and discussed how these technologies could be applied in their home countries.

For the Iranian entrepreneur, the people-to-people exchange event quickly translated into a business opportunity. And this is not an isolated case. Similar partnerships have emerged through platforms and mechanisms that China has helped establish and develop to promote BRICS cooperation.

One of the outstanding platforms is the BRICS Partnership on New Industrial Revolution Innovation Center, also known as the BRICS PartNIR Innovation Center, which is established in Xiamen in 2020. The platform focuses on three main functions –policy coordination, talent exchange and training, and project development, aiming to bring governments, businesses and people from BRICS countries closer together.

Bringing policymakers and businesses to the same table

Since 2020, Xiamen has hosted the annual BRICS Forum on Partnership on New Industrial Revolution (PartNIR) . The forum has attracted senior officials from BRICS countries as well as prominent business figures, including Xiaomi founder Lei Jun and CATL Chairman Zeng Yuqun.

By bringing policymakers and business leaders into the same room, it provides an opportunity to discuss shared priorities and connect policy discussions with the needs of industries.

The forum's discussions have covered areas including advanced manufacturing, digital transformation and technological innovation – sectors where BRICS countries have both common interests and complementary strengths.

At this year's forum in May, representatives from over 25 countries, including BRICS members, partner countries and other countries attended. The forum released a casebook highlighting industrial cooperation projects across the bloc. It also saw the launch of the BRICS New Industrial Revolution Partnership City Network. The network connects cities to share investment opportunities, cooperation projects and innovation resources, with the aim of promoting industrial partnerships and helping move projects forward.

From young talent to future business partners

To facilitate cooperation, people-to-people exchanges are vital.

The youth exchange camp, which concluded on Friday, gave young innovators an opportunity to learn about China's technological development and explore potential areas for collaboration. The BRICS New Industrial Revolution "Golden Egret" Excellence Scholarship offers another opportunity for young people from BRICS and partner countries to receive training in China.

The scholarship was announced by Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the 17th BRICS Summit in July 2025. It gives young professionals the opportunity to spend 15 days in China, attending courses led by industry experts and visiting leading Chinese companies such as Huawei, DJI, Alibaba and Unitree Robotics.

The program is highly competitive, according to Jiang Qingsheng, executive deputy director-general of the BRICS PartNIR Innovation Center. The third edition, which concluded last week, received 627 applications from 38 countries for just 25 places, Jiang said.

Aside from the two exchange programs, the center has organized a range of other people-to-people exchanges. According to official data, it has held 101 online and offline training programs, reaching participants from more than 140 countries and regions. Nearly 3,000 people have taken part in person, while online programs have attracted more than 3 million participants.

Turning business connections into projects

These exchanges and connections have helped create business opportunities and accomplished remarkable achievements.

One example is the growing coffee trade between China and Brazil. In 2022, at the PartNIR forum, China’s Luckin Coffee and Xiamen C&D Inc., together with Japan's Mitsui & Co. and Switzerland-based ECOM Group, signed a letter of intent to purchase 45,000 tonnes of coffee beans from Brazil.

The partnership expanded in 2024, when Luckin Coffee signed a memorandum of understanding with the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency to purchase 240,000 tonnes of Brazilian coffee beans over five years, worth approximately 10 billion yuan (around $1.5 billion), making it the largest coffee bean procurement plan in the company's history.

Industrial cooperation has also taken shape in other BRICS countries. Xiamen-based manufacturers Xiamen Golden Dragon Bus and Xiamen King Long United Automotive Industry have developed local assembly operations in Ethiopia and Egypt, respectively.

Golden Dragon began developing its local manufacturing presence in Ethiopia in 2019. Its electric bus knock-down project entered mass production in 2024, with 100 electric buses delivered and assembled in cooperation with local partners. In Egypt, King Long has worked with local partners on completely knocked-down assembly of passenger vehicles since 2012, building a production base with welding, painting and final assembly facilities.

According to Jiang, the BRICS PartNIR Innovation Center has helped facilitate 167 BRICS cooperation projects, with a combined investment value of 79.1 billion yuan.

China is set to assume the BRICS chairship in 2027 and host the 19th BRICS Summit. The existing platforms and cooperation mechanisms are expected to provide a foundation for further exchanges and partnerships, helping turn connections made through dialogue and visits into longer-term projects.