Six issues that you need to pay attention to by BRICS studies

In 2006, the BRICS Foreign Minister meeting opened the prelude to the cooperation between the BRICS countries. So far, the BRICS cooperation mechanism has gone through 16 years of development. With the joint efforts of the five BRICS countries, this mechanism has achieved some pioneering and iconic results, becoming a positive and stable constructive force in international affairs, and also provided a new platform for Chinese multilateral diplomacy. China is the rotating chairman of the Vietnamese brick country in 2022. In this context, in the process of providing academic support for the cooperation mechanism of the BRICS countries, the author believes that there are the following problems worth paying attention to.

Clarify the two different areas of BRICS research. In the strict sense, the BRICS countries have two different meanings: one refers to the five emerging economies; the other refers to international organizations (that is, the BRICS organization), although it has no charter, no purpose, and impermanence. In this regard, the study of the BRICS countries covers two different categories. If only the BRICS countries are regarded as five emerging economies, then the study of BRICS countries should be a component of regions and countries that have been valued in recent years; if the BRICS countries are regarded as international organizations, related research It should be a part of the research of international organizations.

As we all know, regional and national research and international organization research are two different research. The two use different theories, answer different questions, and even use different research materials. Therefore, when studying the BRICS countries, the scope of research should be clearly clarified, otherwise it will confuse two different research and affect the quality of the results.

Clarify the differences between the research of bilateral relations and the study of BRICS countries. Since the study of the BRICS countries has two different meanings, the study of bilateral relations between five BRICS countries cannot be equivalent to the study of BRICS countries. For example, the cultural exchanges between South Africa and Brazil are not humanistic exchanges organized by the entire BRICS country, but part of the bilateral relations between the two countries; the economic and trade relations between China and the four other countries are not the economic and trade relations organized by the entire BRICS country. And only bilateral economic and trade relations developed by China and other four countries.

This distinction is very necessary. For example, bilateral trade between China and Brazil has been developing rapidly, but this does not mean that the trade cooperation organized by the BRICS countries has achieved outstanding results. For another example, the border between China and India affects the relationship between the two countries to a certain extent, but this does not mean that all BRICS countries have boundary problems.

Clarify the respective view of cooperation between the BRICS countries. In order to promote the cooperation of the BRICS countries, we should try to comprehensively understand the cooperation view of each BRICS country as much as possible, that is, the positions, attitudes, expectations, and diplomatic strategies related to cooperation. Only by knowing and knowing can they cooperate better. However, it is not easy to understand the views of cooperation in various countries. This difficulty comes from the following three aspects. First of all, not every BRICS country has its own clear concept of cooperation; second, the foreign policy of the BRICS countries often adjusts significantly due to the government's change, and its cooperation concept is also changing; again, the relevant position has the relevant position. It must be confidential, and it is difficult for other countries to know.

Despite the above difficulties, scholars can still obtain more and more accurate information with relevant national scholars and foreign decision -making departments by strengthening the follow -up research on the tracking and research of the foreign policy of the BRICS countries, and to communicate more with relevant national scholars and foreign decision -making departments.

Clarify the main direction of the BRICS research. Faced with the great changes in the world for a century, the five emerging economies with different national conditions have created the BRICS organizations and regularly held a summit meeting. It can be seen that the five countries hope that it is strong to have a role in making a difference in international stage or even striving. It can be seen from the declaration published after each leader's meeting that the BRICS organizations seem to intend to strengthen cooperation in all fields. These areas can be summarized as "tricycle -driven", that is, political cooperation, economic cooperation, and cultural exchanges.

More than ten years of cooperation shows that the difficulty of political cooperation, economic cooperation and cultural exchanges in the "tricycle -driven" is different. Holding a sports meeting or a TV series can be regarded as promoting humanistic exchanges between the BRICS countries, but how to promote political cooperation and economic cooperation within the framework of the BRICS countries is still difficult. Essence Therefore, when studying the cooperation of BRICS countries, political cooperation and economic cooperation should be determined as the main direction. It should be pointed out that the academic circles of the five countries should put forward more valuable policy suggestions for pushing the political cooperation and economic cooperation of the BRICS countries.

Further strengthen the research of application countermeasures. As an important issue in international relations, the study of BRICS countries certainly requires theoretical guidance. However, a variety of international relations theory created by Western scholars or a few theories created by Chinese scholars may not be able to provide valuable references for the cooperation of the BRICS countries. Facts show that so far, the achievements of cooperation between BRICS countries are difficult to attribute to the theory of international relations. In other words, if the theory of international relations can instruct the BRICS cooperation, the achievements of the cooperation between the five countries may be greater.

Based on this, as far as the current study of the BRICS countries, we should pay less attention to someism, pay more attention to practical issues, and focus on proposing strong operability and targeted policy suggestions on the basis of practice. Especially in 2022, as chairman of China, Chinese scholars should have the impact of the cooperation between the Ukraine crisis on the cooperation of the BRICS countries, how to implement the "BRICS Economic Partner Strategy 2025", how to practice true multilateralism and the "pseudo -pseudo -against the United States. Multilateralism makes your own voice. Efforts to overcome various institutional obstacles facing the study of BRICS countries. Since the establishment of the BRICS organization, the study of the BRICS country has emerged. There is no doubt that over the past ten years, scholars in the BRICS countries have contributed to the cooperation of the BRICS countries.

With the continuous deepening of the cooperation of the BRICS countries, scholars of the Five countries should provide them with more powerful academic support. To do this, the following obstacles must be overcome. The first is to expand the source of information and master more specific information. If the scholars only rely on the words in the news report to do research, then its research results can only be "horses" or the so -called "policy recommendations" of "itching". The second is to carry out specific research on the basis of mastering the overall situation of the five countries. At present, most of the scholars engaged in BRICS countries focus on one of them. Few scholars who understand all the internal affairs and diplomacy of the five countries and have in -depth research. For example, studying Russia does not necessarily understand Brazil, and India does not necessarily understand South Africa. In order to solve this problem, scholars engaged in the study of BRICS must strengthen mutual exchanges and take advantage of their strengths in order to make valuable research results.

In summary, the study of BRICS countries is still a research field that needs to be improved. It is gratifying that regional countries are expected to become a first -level discipline under cross -disciplinary category. As a part of the regional country, the study of the BRICS countries is expected to take another step. However, in the foreseeable future, it is difficult for the BRICS research to be upgraded to "BRICS Studies". After all, whether you can become an independent learning, you can't just look at the organization itself, but also depends on whether the future BRICS countries can study the results of transcendence.

(The author is a special professor of Shanghai University, vice chairman of the expert committee of the Chinese Council of the BRICS Think Tank Cooperation)

Source: China Social Science Network-Journal of Social Sciences of China

Author: Jiang Shixue

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