On August 23 (Reporter Yang Fushan), China News Service Xiamen reported, as the 15th BRICS Summit held in Johannesburg, South Africa, BRICS cooperation has attracted much attention. In Xiamen, Fujian, the construction of a BRICS New Industrial Revolution PartNIR Innovation Center (referred to as the “BRICS PartNIR Innovation Center”) has made some achievements.

The picture shows visitors visiting          Photo by China News

the BRICS Innovation Base               Servicereporter Zhang Bin

Exhibition Hall in Xiamen.            

Huang Feng, executive deputy director of the Xiamen BRICS PartNIR Innovation Center Construction Leading Group Office, said in an exclusive interview with a reporter from China News Service on the 23rd that since the construction started in December 2020, the construction of the Xiamen BRICS PartNIR Innovation Center has moved forward steadily, and 77 BRICS cooperation projects have been signed, with an investment amount of 38.5 billion yuan (RMB, the same below).

According to Huang Feng, the Xiamen BRICS PartNIR Innovation Center has released four batches of 154 key task lists, and held more than 30 BRICS international exchange activities such as the Global Development Initiative for New Industrial Revolution Partnership Seminar and the BRICS Investment and Trade Promotion Forum, establishing the BRICS Think Tank Cooperation Alliance and the New Industrial Capacity Enhancement Training Base Alliance to promote the establishment of the first innovative training base of the Global Development Promotion Center, organizing more than 40 talent training activities, benefiting more than 80 countries, and attracting more than 1.793 million participants... During the interview, Huang Feng cited a set of figures to show the phased results achieved in the construction of the Xiamen BRICS PartNIR Innovation Center.

In the past three years, based on the “needs of the country, capabilities of Xiamen, Fujian, and wishes of the BRICS”, the Xiamen BRICS PartNIR Innovation Center has adhered to a global perspective, focused on the theme of “new industrial revolution”, continuously improved the operating mechanism, expanded policy coordination, deepened talent training, and promoted project development to make all the constructions progress smoothly.

Huang Feng said that the Xiamen BRICS PartNIR Innovation Center has implemented the Think Tank cooperation and has invited experts from well-known universities and Think Tank to hold 8 BRICS policy lectures, conducting a total of 28 special subject studies, and launching 19 research reports and dynamic information. The Xiamen BRICS Technology and Skills Standardization Technical Committee, composed of 35 members, will be set up to promote the mutual recognition of Chinese and foreign standards and build a standard system compatible with international standards.

In terms of talent training, the Xiamen BRICS PartNIR Innovation Center focuses on the fields of new industrial revolution and key areas of Global Development Initiative, and holds a number of training and exchange activities online and offline integrating Xiamen’s development characteristics, such as “Series Training for Entering the Chinese Markets”, “Marine High-quality Development Seminar”, and “Lecture for BRICS Skills Development and Technological Innovation”. At the same time, accurately introduce and host the 2022 BRICS Vocational Skills Competition, promote training through competitions, and build a skilled talent pool for the digital age.

In terms of project cooperation, the Sino-Russian Digital Economy Research Center has accelerated the transformation of research results and will support a number of Sino-Russian cooperative scientific and technological research and achievements industrialization projects in Xiamen this year. The BRICS Future Innovation Park has signed a total of 36 projects, with an occupancy rate of more than 95%.

Xiamen, as the “City of BRICS” that committed to promoting a higher level of opening up to the outside world, had opened an all-cargo route from Xiamen to São Paulo, Brazil in February this year, which is the first Brazilian all-cargo route opened by Xiamen Airport after the fourth BRICS New Industrial Revolution Partnership Forum was held in September 2022 and is also the first e-commerce air freight line for BRICS city cross-border in China, promoting Xiamen and Brazil and other Latin American countries trade. According to Xiamen Customs, Xiamen’s imports and exports to BRICS totaled RMB 56.12 billion yuan in the first half of this year, a year-on-year of 46.9%.

Huang Feng stated that in next step, Xiamen BRICS PartNIR Innovation Center will closely follow the BRICS expansion process, deepening cooperation in three key areas such as policy coordination, talent training and project development, expanding “BRICS+” cooperation, releasing “BRICS+” potential, and building an important platform for pragmatic cooperation between the BRICS and “BRICS+”.