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XIAMEN, Sept. 4-- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday chaired the ninth BRICS summit, calling on the group of five emerging economies to intensify cooperation and contribute more to a world troubled by protectionism and imbalanced development. "We must redouble our efforts to usher in the second golden decade of BRICS cooperation," Xi told leaders of Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa at the summit in the southeastern city of Xiamen, Fujian Province. It was the first time that Xi had presided over the BRICS summit and the third time for him to chair major international events in a year, following the G20 Hangzhou Summit and the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing. Brazilian President Michel Temer, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South African President Jacob Zuma were welcomed by Xi before the opening of the summit, themed "BRICS: Stronger Partnership for a Brighter Future." The summit has been widely expected to set the future course for the group, which accounts for about 43 percent of the world's population and has contributed more than half of global economic growth over the past decade. Xi raised his vision to "comprehensively deepen" BRICS partnership, including seeking practical results in economic cooperation, strengthening complementarity of development strategies and making the international order more just and equitable. | 
