The African National Congress welcomes the Heads of State of the BRICS
countries and their delegations who are attending the 5th BRICS summit
hosted by South Africa in Durban starting from tomorrow under the theme
'BRICS and Africa Partnership for Development, Integration and
Industrialisation'. We also welcome the new President of the People's
Republic of China  President Xi Jinping on his first State Visit.

We welcome 15 African Heads of State as part of marking this milestone
and promoting African renewal, who will be hosted by the government under
the theme "Unlocking Africa's potential: BRICS and Africa Cooperation on
Infrastructure".

 The ANC believes that these gatherings are critical in redefining the
collective future of the developing nations at a time when the world is
constantly threatened by a possible collapse of established economies. We
believe that the outcomes of the summit and the meeting of the 15 African
Heads of State will be instructive on the consolidation of trade within
BRICS and within the African Union and as well as consolidation of
cooperation in the area of investment between these countries.

As the Chair of the BRICS group for the next twelve months, we believe
that South Africa will be able to make its contribution in further
defining the agenda and objectives of BRICS. We wish all participants
well in the deliberations and hope that the outcome will take BRICS into
the next level of consolidation.