President Xi's speech receives warm reactions worldwide

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01:06

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech on Wednesday at the opening session of the BRICS Business Forum in Johannesburg, South Africa, which has been well received among attendees and the press.

Business people participating in the forum spoke highly of Xi’s addresses, as well as China’s important role in the BRICS cooperation mechanism.

Delegates have pictures taken beneath a billboard outside the BRICS summit meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, July 25, 2018. /Reuters Photo

"It is one of the best speeches I have ever heard," Alan Mukoki, CEO of South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry said.

The way he spoke makes him a world-class leader as he not only mentioned the issue in his country but the problems the world is facing today, Mukoki noted.

Leslie Maasdorp, Vice President of the BRICS New Development Bank, believed that Xi made a very strong sort of remark about deepening BRICS collaboration.

Leslie Maasdorp, Vice President of the New Development Bank, speaks during the Lujiazui Forum in Shanghai, China, June 20, 2017. /VCG Photo

The speech has emphasized the need for Africa to be part of that collaboration and the need to deepen the partnership with the content more widely.

What impressed Jiang Zengwei the most, President of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), is that Xi fully affirmed the role of the business community as a driving force of BRICS cooperation.

Interpreters translate an address from speakers on the first day of the 10th BRICS Summit at Sandton Convention Center, in Sandton district of Johannesburg, South Africa, July 25, 2018. /VCG Photo

"As the organizer of this business forum, the CCPIT will resolutely implement the spirit of the speech and work with the industrial and commercial circles of various countries to implement the results of this summit," Jiang added.

Echoing Xi's stance that "there is 'no winner' in any 'trade war'", Stavros Nicolau, a member of the BRICS Business Council, confirmed that Xi's initiative is important to level off some of these unilateral trends that we're starting to see at the trade and investment level.

BRICS delegates attend an address on the first day of the 10th BRICS summit at Sandton Convention Center, in Sandton district of Johannesburg, South Africa, July 25, 2018. /VCG Photo

Reactions from the media have also been warm.

Mohamed Ameen, a reporter from South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) said that going back to what Xi said, over the next decade, the world will change in governance.

"I think they are talking about the second golden decade for BRICS. So this summit in South Africa will lead us into a brighter future," Ameen insisted.