From May 25 to 30, 2025, at the joint invitation of Kazan, Russia, and Maricá, Brazil, Sun Xueqing, Secretary-General of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), led a delegation to attend the General Assembly of BRICS+ Association of Cities and Municipalities in Maricá, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. Secretary-General Sun Xueqing delivered a keynote speech at the event. The assembly brought together representatives from cities and subnational governments across 26 countries, including China, Brazil, Ethiopia, India, Iran, Russia, and South Africa.
Secretary-General Sun Xueqing remarked that, subnational city cooperation is a vital driving force for the high-quality development of broader BRICS Cooperation. As a founding member of the BRICS+ Association of Cities and Municipalities, the CPAFFC has consistently upheld the BRICS spirit of openness, inclusiveness, and win-win cooperation. It attaches great importance to subnational exchanges within the BRICS framework and has been actively involved in the significant process of turning the initiative into action. Looking ahead, the CPAFFC is committed to joining hands with all parties, working together to create new highlights in the joint self-strengthening of the Global South based on multilateralism, injecting fresh momentum into high-quality development through deeper subnational cooperation, and advance cultural mutual learning by building strong bonds between the peoples.
During the assembly, Secretary-General Sun Xueqing held respective meetings with several key participants, including Washington Quaquá, Mayor of Maricá, Rio de Janeiro; Guseva, President of the All-Russian Association for Local Self-Government Development; Stofile, President of the South African Local Government Association; Olvera, Secretary-General of the Latin American Section of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG); and Natanzi, Secretary-General of the Asian Mayors Forum. Discussions focused on enhancing mutual engagement, promoting association development, and expanding "BRICS+" subnational cooperation across multiple sectors.
The assembly concluded with a broad consensus on the alliance's future development framework. Participants unanimously agreed to use the Association as a multilateral platform to expand cultural exchanges, deepen practical cooperation, and promote innovation-driven development, injecting new momentum into the unity and common progress of the Global South.
