Enhance cooperation to protect common interests

BRICS countries should enhance solidarity, cooperation and safeguard common interests as they face growing uncertainties and instabilities in international situations, according to Chinese President Xi Jinping, who assumes the Presidency of the five-member bloc this year.
                 

Facing growing uncertainties and instability in international affairs, BRICS countries need to enhance solidarity and safeguard common interests, Mr. Xi said in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russia President Vladimir Putin, South African President Jacob Zuma and Brazilian President Michel Temer, official media reported.

Briefing fellow BRICS leaders about China’s blueprint for promoting cooperation among the member states during China’s presidency of the bloc this year, Mr. Xi said Beijing will host the ninth BRICS leaders’ summit in Xiamen, a coastal city in southeastern China’s Fujian province in September this year.

The summit will focus on four aspects, deepening pragmatic cooperation for common development, enhancing global governance to jointly counter challenges, carrying out people-to-people exchanges to consolidate public support for cooperation and promoting mechanism-building to construct broader partnership, said Mr. Xi, also the General Secretary of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC).

The Shanghai-based bank headed by Indian banker K V Kamath has started disbursing loans for various green infrastructure projects in the five countries.

Mr. Xi’s letter comes ahead of US President-elect Donal Trump taking over as President later this month amid apprehensions that he would pursue hardline U.S. centric policies which Beijing avers will affect the current order of globalisation benefitting the emerging economies.

China hopes cooperation among BRICS grouping will move forward to a new level during its 9th summit, Mr. Xi said.

Canada's nuclear regulator signs memorandum of understanding with China

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the National Nuclear Safety Administration (NNSA) of the People’s Republic of China, to cooperate and exchange nuclear safety regulatory information about the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
               

CNSC President Michael Binder signed the MOU in Ottawa. The MOU entered into effect recently when it was signed in Beijing by Li Ganjie, the NNSA Administrator.

CNSC Executive Vice-President and Chief Regulatory Operations Officer Ramzi Jammal witnessed the signing in China.

The MOU provides a framework for the CNSC, as Canada’s national nuclear regulator, and the NNSA, as China’s regulator of nuclear safety, to exchange technical information about topics such as the regulation of nuclear facilities and radioactive sources, and radiation protection. The MOU provides clear guidance about the organization of cooperative activities and responsibilities for the security of information exchanged.

The CNSC establishes and maintains regulatory cooperation arrangements with its international counterparts to share information and best practices, with a view of further enhancing nuclear safety and security in Canada and abroad.