BEIJING, July 4. /TASS/. BRICS member states are shaping a new framework for polycentric globalization, where non-Western companies play an increasingly prominent role, the Primakov National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IMEMO RAS) director, Fedor Voytolovsky, told TASS.

"Globalization has long been polycentric, with multiple development centers, including non-Western transnational corporations. Global value chains are emerging, centered not in Western nations, but in BRICS countries," he said during the 13th World Peace Forum at Tsinghua University in Beijing.

The expert clarified that China is one of the key drivers of globalization. With this in mind, in his view, Western countries often position themselves as "those who seek exploiting interdependence to damage their competitors economically."

"We have encountered this with regard to Russia and, unfortunately, are seeing it with China and several other countries. This includes protectionism as well as sanctions pressure, in other words, the use of non-economic competition measures," Voytolovsky added.

The institute’s director also recalled the technological restrictions that certain Western countries employ through export control. "They are often motivated solely by competition for emerging markets and leadership in innovation systems development. Yet we observe that these processes occur alongside growing scrutiny over sensitive technologies, particularly dual-use technologies," he noted.

Russia-China partnership

The expert noted that Russia is fostering an all-weather strategic partnership with China across economic, scientific, educational, and technological spheres, as well as in security cooperation. "Russia seeks to build this framework of relations not only with China, but with other BRICS members as well. We observe this strategic partnership advancing with India too, with cooperation expanding across various spheres," he said.

As Voytolovsky pointed out, Russia's Chinese and Indian partners have largely refrained from following the restrictions that the US and its allies have sought to impose on Russia since 2014. "On the contrary, we observe substantial growth in Russian-Chinese economic ties, including increases in total trade volume, goods and services exchange, particularly in the high-tech sector," he added.

The expert also noted that Russia and China actively cooperate as permanent members of the UN Security Council and share common positions on many issues. In particular, they consistently call for Iran-Israel conflict resolution, offering their services in the negotiation process.

"Russia and China collaborate in combating international terrorism, religious-ideological extremism, illicit financial operations, smuggling, and a range of other transnational challenges and threats. This cooperation occurs both bilaterally and through the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, as well as other multilateral frameworks," the expert added.

Voytolovsky also mentioned joint Russian-Chinese efforts concerning military political issues, including conducting regular joint military exercises. "There is an active information exchange between us. I consider this a very high level of partnership, we are already achieving significant results in this area," he concluded.