President Xi Jinping has called on the BRICS countries to jointly defend multilateralism and the multilateral trading system and advance greater BRICS cooperation, as trade and tariff wars waged by a certain country severely disrupt the world economy and undermine international trade rules. Xi made the remarks while participating in a virtual BRICS Summit from Beijing on Monday. He was joined by other leaders including Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Russian President Vladimir Putin and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, as well as leaders from Egypt, Iran, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates, and representatives from India and Ethiopia. Xi described BRICS countries as the forefront of the Global South amid rampant hegemonism, unilateralism and protectionism, saying that this is a critical juncture for them to act on the BRICS Spirit of openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation. Originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Afric...