Chinese President Xi Jinping (C), Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (2nd L), South African President Jacob Zuma (1st R), Brazilian President Michel Temer (1st L) and Russian President Vladimir Putin (2nd R) attend a BRICS leaders' meeting on the sidelines of the soon to open G20 in Hangzhou, China, on September 4, 2016. Photo by Yao Dawei/UPI | License Photo

Sept. 4 (UPI) -- In his remarks at the BRICS summit on Monday, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for developing nations and emerging economies to stick together and cooperate.

"Though we are far away from each other geographically, common dreams and pursuit have made us good friends and partners," the meeting's host, Xi, told attendees.


The BRICS acronym refers to Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The association of nations meets annually to discuss economic and political cooperation.

While the emerging economies of each of the five nations share similarities, the BRICS members aren't necessarily natural allies. India and China are often described as geopolitical rivals, and the two remain locked in a border dispute.

Despite rising tensions between the two Asian nations, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the summit to encourage cooperation among BRICS members in order to grow the solar energy industry.

"Our five countries have complementary skills and strengths to promote use of renewable and solar energy," Modi said in the summit, held over the weekend in the Chinese port city of Xiamen.

Modi also said India would work with fellow BRICS allies to curb black money and corruption, a stated goal of Xi Jinping.

While the main topics at the summit, set to conclude Tuesday, were trade and economic growth, BRICS members took time to condemn North Korea's latest hydrogen bomb tests.

In a resolution issued by attendees of the latest BRICS summit, leaders promised to work toward the development of a low-emissions global, sustainable economy. The five nations also promised to keep outer space a place of peace and cooperation.

"We adhere to the principle of utilizing outer space for peaceful purposes and emphasise the need to strengthen the international cooperation in space activities in order to use space technologies to respond to global climate change, environmental protection, disaster prevention and relief and other challenges faced by humankind," leaders wrote in the declaration.