Kazan, Russia - Recent

BRICS continues to expand as a viable alternative to a West-dominated world, emphasizing collaboration rather than confrontation, said a Russian commentator.

The three-day BRICS summit wrapped up on Thursday after gathering global leaders and officials in Kazan, the capital of Russia's Republic of Tatarstan. Notably the event was the first to be held since the expansion of the BRICS group earlier this year.

In an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Konstantin Shchepin, Chinese Government Friendship Award recipient, noted that BRICS, founded some 17 years ago, was largely a financial and economic grouping trying to resolve some existing financial and economic and trade issues, and now it has certainly evolved with new members included into this mechanism.

He also noted that the narrative surrounding BRICS has significantly shifted in Western media, moving from predictions of its collapse eight years ago to recognizing it as a challenge to Western dominance.

Shotlist:
Kazan, Russia - Recent:
1. Various of banners of 16th BRICS Summit, buildings, pedestrians;
Russia - Recent
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Konstantin Shchepin, Chinese Government Friendship Award recipient:
"If you look from a more global point of view, the most important signal that we get is BRICS will keep on growing as an alternative to the West-dominated world. I say as an alternative, but not against the West-dominated world. BRICS is now an open organization. It is open to the cooperation with anyone.";
Kazan, Russia - Recent
3. Various of board showing information about 16th BRICS Summit, pedestrians;
Russia - Recent
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Konstantin Shchepin, Chinese Government Friendship Award recipient (partially overlaid with shots 5-6):
"What I saw from the current summit is a very huge change of narrative of the Western media towards the BRICS. It is very interesting. I do remember covering the summit in the Chinese (city of) Xiamen. At that time there are Western narrative, the Western media narrative towards the BRICS as a club was the following: that BRICS is doomed to collapse because it lacks the potential. The countries are not willing to work with each other anymore and basically in the nearest future we're not going to see BRICS as it is. we're going to forget the very definition of BRICS.";
[SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE]
Kazan, Russia - Recent
5. Banners of 16th BRICS Summit;
Xiamen City, Fujian Province, east China - September 2017
6. Sign reading "BRICS 2017 China" outside building;
[SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE]
Kazan, Russia - Recent
7. Various of banners of 16th BRICS Summit, buildings, pedestrians;
Kazan, Russia - Recent
8. Poster showing information of 16th BRICS Summit, traffic;
Russia - Recent
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Konstantin Shchepin, Chinese Government Friendship Award recipient:
"Now eight years later, right now what we see in the Western media is depicting BRICS not as an organization or a club doomed to fail, but as a challenge to the West. Now the very notion what we see in the western media that BRICS is becoming a challenge is a very proof of the effectiveness of the BRICS, and I think that's how it's going to work. BRICS proved that (it) is going to grow.";
Kazan, Russia - Recent
10. Banner of 16th BRICS Summit;
11. Kazan Kremlin, other buildings;
12. River.

[Restriction - No access Chinese mainland]