JOHANNESBURG, Aug. 22 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called for actions to translate the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind into reality.

Xi's appeal was made in a speech read out by Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao at the BRICS Business Forum 2023.

"Right now, changes in the world, in our times and in history are unfolding in ways like never before, bringing human society to a critical juncture," Xi warned in the speech titled Enhance Solidarity and Cooperation to Overcome Risks and Challenges and Jointly Build a Better World.

"Should we pursue cooperation and integration, or just succumb to division and confrontation? Should we work together to maintain peace and stability, or just sleepwalk into the abyss of a new Cold War? Should we embrace prosperity, openness and inclusiveness, or allow hegemonic and bullying acts to throw us into depression? Should we deepen mutual trust through exchanges and mutual learning, or allow hubris and prejudice to blind conscience?" Xi asked. "The course of history will be shaped by the choices we make."

Our world today has become a community with a shared future in which we all share a huge stake of survival, Xi said, noting that what people in various countries long for is "definitely not a new Cold War or a small exclusive bloc; what they want is an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world that enjoys enduring peace, universal security and common prosperity."

Such is the logic of historical advance and the trend of our times, Xi stressed, urging all countries to uphold the correct views of the world, of history and of our overall interests.

"We need to promote development and prosperity for all," Xi said, adding that with perseverance, hard work and huge sacrifices, many emerging markets and developing countries succeeded in gaining independence, and "everything we do is to deliver better lives to our people."

"Every country has the right to development, and the people in every country have the freedom to pursue a happy life," Xi said, noting that China will work with all other countries to speed up cooperation under the Global Development Initiative, meet common challenges together and make life better for people across the world.

"We need to achieve universal security," Xi said, adding that only a commitment to a new vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security can lead to universal security.

China stands ready to jointly pursue the Global Security Initiative with all others, have dialogue and oppose confrontation, forge partnership but not alliance, and pursue win-win outcome and oppose zero-sum game, and work together to build a community of security, Xi added.

"We need to stay committed to exchanges among civilizations and mutual learning," Xi said, stressing that human civilization is colorful by nature, and deliberately creating division with the assertion of "democracy versus authoritarianism" and "liberalism versus autocracy" can only split the world and lead to a clash of civilizations.

China, Xi said, welcomes all other countries to get involved in cooperation under the Global Civilization Initiative, promote the common values of humanity, encourage different civilizations to bring out their best and flourish together, and renew human civilization.

The collective rise of emerging markets and developing countries represented by BRICS is fundamentally changing the global landscape, Xi stressed, noting that whatever resistance there may be, BRICS, a positive and stable force for good, will continue to grow.

"We will forge stronger BRICS strategic partnership, expand the 'BRICS Plus' model, actively advance membership expansion, deepen solidarity and cooperation with other emerging markets and developing countries, promote global multipolarity and greater democracy in international relations, and help make the international order more just and equitable," Xi said.

Over 20 countries are knocking on the door of BRICS and China hopes to see more joining the BRICS cooperation mechanism, according to Xi.

Noting that China stays committed to an independent foreign policy of peace and the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, Xi said as a developing country and a member of the Global South, China breathes the same breath with other developing countries and pursues a shared future with them, and has resolutely upheld the common interests of developing countries and worked to increase the representation and voice of emerging markets and developing countries in global affairs.

"Hegemonism is not in China's DNA; nor does China have any motivation to engage in major-power competition. China stands firmly on the right side of history, and believes that a just cause should be pursued for the common good," he added.

Xi pointed out that at present, Chinese people, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, are advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts by pursuing Chinese modernization.

China enjoys several distinct advantages: a socialist market economy in systemic terms, a supersize market in terms of demand, a full-fledged industrial system in terms of supply, and abundant, high-caliber labor force and entrepreneurs in terms of human resources, the Chinese president said, emphasizing that the Chinese economy has strong resilience, tremendous potential and great vitality, and the fundamentals sustaining China's long-term growth will remain unchanged.

China will remain an important opportunity for the world's development, Xi noted, saying China will remain firm in advancing high-standard opening-up, foster a world-class, market-oriented business environment governed by a sound legal framework, and build a globally-oriented network of high-standard free trade areas.

As it endeavors to achieve modernization for its more than 1.4 billion people, China will surely contribute even more to the global economy and provide even more opportunities for the global business community, Xi said.