JOHANNESBURG, August 23. /TASS/. Beijing stands out for stepping up practical cooperation between BRICS member states (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa), particularly in digital economy, the Chinese leader Xi Jinping said at a plenary session of the BRICS summit.

"BRICS countries should be together on course to development and upturn, stand against attempts of division and economic coercion. It is necessary to focus on practical cooperation, especially in areas of digital economy, green development, supply chains and more for facilitating cooperation in economy, trade and finance," he said.

China also plans to create "a research and technology incubator of a new era for BRICS countries," in a move to support achievements in the area of scientific and technological innovations, Xi Jinping noted. That said, BRICS members are facing serious problems, and a long way lies ahead for reaching sustainable development goals, he added.

The BRICS summit is being held in South Africa from August 22 through 24. According to South Africa’s Ambassador at Large for Asia and BRICS Affairs and BRICS Sherpa Anil Sooklal, around 30 countries are interested in joining the association and some of them, including Algeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, and Ethiopia, have officially applied for membership.