The first BRICS Pragmatic Forum held in Shanghai on Thursday saw in-depth discussions about cooperation between the BRICS group of five major emerging economies – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
"BRICS is not a bloc, it's an association of common interests and common views which can exchange experiences in economic and social areas," said Celso Amorim, Brazil's former foreign affairs and defense minister, at the event.
Among the dozens of delegates at the forum were Vice President of the New Development Bank Paulo Nogueira Batista Jr. and Jaya Josie, director of the BRICS Center's Human Sciences Research Department.
The forum was co-hosted by BRICS think-tank the Fudan Development Institute (FDI), the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences' World Economy Institute, and the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies.
It saw the release of a report compiled by the FDI and Brazilian higher education institution Fundacao Getulio Vargas into China-Brazil infrastructure investment. Memoranda of understanding were also signed between the FDI and Russian think-tanks and universities on culture exchanges including joint programs of humanities research.
