JOHANNESBURG, August 22. /TASS/. Every country has the right to economic development, according to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s statement to the BRICS Business Forum Leaders' Dialogue, which was read out by Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao.

"Everything we are doing is geared towards bringing happiness to our peoples. But some countries, which are seeking hegemony, are harming emerging markets and developing countries. Rapid development becomes a target for containment, and overcoming problems becomes an object of obstacles. <…> But each country has the right to develop and the people of every country have the right to strive for a better life," it says.

The Chinese leader stressed the importance of the implementation of the global development initiative and stated that his country is ready for cooperation in this area.

The 15th 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 show interest in joining the association and some of them, including Algeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, and Ethiopia, have officially applied for membership. According to the sources of the India’s Business Standard newspaper, five countries, namely Argentina, Egypt, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia, may be admitted at the current summit.