BEIJING, August 22. /TASS/. China and Russia should use their international influence and join forces to strengthen the role of BRICS in global governance, a Chinese expert told TASS.

"China and Russia are global powers. Amid the changing international situation, China and Russia should contribute to strengthening the role of BRICS in global governance by means of bilateral strategic cooperation, and promote the democratization of international relations," said Xian Feng, an expert at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University and a senior researcher at the Taihe Institute. Thus, he said, the group would become a major mechanism for effectively interacting within South-South and North-South cooperative frameworks.

According to Xian, Beijing and Moscow are "an important force." "Our countries jointly secured a successful interaction between the group’s members during the entire first 'golden decade' of BRICS," he recalled.

The comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Russia is "a model of [multilateral] cooperation between BRICS members in general and bilateral interaction between them." "So far, the members of the group have reached a key stage for forming internal BRICS mechanisms, which includes its expansion as well," the expert added.

He noted the need to maintain "the deep consensus" between China and Russia in defining the standards and procedures for admitting new members. He urged Beijing and Moscow to join forces in approving key aspects and measures "to prevent consolidation in the existing mechanism from decreasing with the admission of new members."

The BRICS group encompasses Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The group is holding its annual summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, on August 22-24. Russian President Vladimir Putin will take part in the event via video link, while Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is onsite representing Russia in person.