BRICS summit on emerging economies opened in Johannesburg, South Africa (Photo: Quartz)

He said growing protectionism will harm multilateral trade. Mr. Xi said many countries are facing a choice between cooperation and confrontation. South African President Cyri Ramaphosa expressed concern about the rise in unilateral policies that are incompatible with World Trade Organization rules and have serious effects.

The summit, themed “BRICS in Africa: Collaboration for inclusive growth and shared prosperity in the 4th Industrial Revolution”, will close on Friday. The leaders of the 5 BRICS countries – Brazilian President Michel Temer, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa – will begin their formal discussion on Thursday.