This year marks the 15th anniversary of BRICS cooperation. On November 16, the opening ceremony of the VII BRICS International Competition Conference was held online. It was jointly organized by the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) and the People's Government of Sichuan Province, with two venues in Beijing and Chengdu. Wang Yong, State Councilor and Director of the Anti-Monopoly Committee of the State Council, attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech at the venue in Beijing. Peng Qinghua, Secretary of the CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee, delivered a speech at the venue in Chengdu. Macedo, President of the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE) of Brazil, Maxim Shaskolsky, President of the Federal Antimonopoly Service of the Russian Federation, Ashok Kumar Gupta, Chairperson of the Competition Commission of India, and Tembinkosi Bonakele, President of the South African Competition Commission, attended the conference and delivered speeches at the venues in their own countries. He Rong, Executive Vice President of the Supreme People's Court of China, delivered a speech at the Beijing venue. Zhang Gong, Director of the SAMR and Deputy Director of the Anti-Monopoly Committee of the State Council, presided over the opening ceremony and introduced the Chengdu Joint Statement of the Heads of BRICS Competition Authorities.

　　Wang Yong said in his speech that the Chinese government always attaches great importance to ensuring fair market competition. In recent years, we have thoroughly implemented President Xi Jinping's important remarks on strengthening competition regulation, reformed the anti-monopoly regulatory system and mechanism, thoroughly implemented the fair competition review mechanism, resolutely opposed monopoly and unfair competition, and vigorously safeguarded the legitimate rights and interests of various market players and consumers. In the next step, we will focus on building a new development paradigm and promoting high-quality development and common prosperity. We will continue to consolidate the fundamental role of competition policies, strengthen competition supervision and law enforcement in key areas, and create a market environment where domestic and foreign companies are treated as equals and compete on a level playing field.

　　Wang Yong pointed out that the BRICS countries are an important engine of global economic growth. There is broad space and great potential for cooperation in the field of competition. We should implement the important outcomes of the 13th BRICS Summit and strengthen the coordination of competition policies. We should deepen law enforcement cooperation in regulating cross-border cartels, punish the abuse of market dominance, and carry out the antimonopoly review of cross-border mergers and acquisitions. We will innovate regulatory concepts and methods in areas such as the digital economy, continue to strengthen institutional opening-up in the field of competition, jointly promote the improvement of international competition rules, and make greater contributions to promoting the healthy development of the world economy and building a community of shared future for mankind.

　　In his speech, Peng Qinghua said that President Xi Jinping attaches great importance to the BRICS mechanism, attended several sessions of the BRICS Summit, put forward China's initiative, and announced concrete measures. In September 2021, President Xi Jinping delivered an important speech at the 13th BRICS Summit, emphasizing that they should strengthen faith and solidarity, and promote high-quality BRICS pragmatic cooperation. The speech made by President Xi pointed out the right direction for consolidating the BRICS strategic partnership and practicing true multilateralism. As one of the organizers of this conference, Sichuan will always adhere to the "BRICS spirit", better serve the national opening-up strategy, and make positive efforts to build a community of shared future for mankind. We sincerely hope to deepen cooperation with BRICS countries in the fields of industrial collaboration, science and technology innovation, modern agriculture, green and low-carbon development, and people-to-people exchanges, and to work together to pave the "BRICS Avenue" of open development and mutual learning. We will, as always, create a good environment for BRICS businessmen to invest and start businesses in Sichuan and achieve better development.

　　Macedo sent his best greetings to the guests attending the conference. The Brazilian government fully recognizes the importance of anti-monopoly administrative law enforcement and has established an important working mechanism. It has taken a series of measures to investigate, deter and punish anticompetitive behavior so as to ensure that different market players are provided with a market environment conducive to competition. In recent years, the rise of science and technology and the widespread popularity of the Internet have led to a significant expansion of the digital market and increased the difficulty of supervision. The Brazilian government will make the digital economy a priority in advancing administrative antitrust enforcement.

　　Shaskolsky said that this year's conference provides a platform for the exchanges of experience in the search for solutions to crucial issues. Despite the challenges posed by COVID-19, the BRICS competition agencies continue to work closely on all strategically important issues. The BRICS Competition Law and Policy Centre has gathered a number of experts and talented people, which will provide advanced solutions for improving the anti-monopoly law of BRICS countries. We believe that through our joint efforts, the quality of law enforcement in BRICS countries will be continuously improved.

　　Gupta said that compared with mature jurisdictions, competition policies and legislation in BRICS countries are relatively new, and it is important to hold the BRICS International Competition Conference where everyone can exchange experience and practices, communicate relevant issues, and share useful explorations. Today's world is undergoing a comprehensive and rapid transformation. The laws and policies of each country must remain relevant to adapt to the changing situation. India has benefited greatly from its cooperation with the BRICS countries. This conference will help India prepare itself for the challenges ahead by collecting opinions from other countries.

　　The BRICS countries need to cooperate more closely, share more information and experience, and learn from each other so that we can enhance the capacity of every member, Bonakele said. South Africa is extremely happy to participate in the construction of the BRICS Competition Law and Policy Centre. Currently, the competition law enforcement agency in South Africa faces a number of challenges both in driving economic recovery in the wake of COVID-19 and the emergence of monopolies in crisis. To ensure that areas such as e-commerce remain fully competitive in the market, South Africa is conducting research and looking forward to learning from the good practices of its peers at this conference.

　　He Rong said that in recent years, Chinese courts have given full play to their judicial functions, protected the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese and foreign parties equally according to law, strengthened anti-monopoly and anti-unfair competition law, effectively protected the legitimate rights and interests of consumers and business operators and public interests and striven to create a market-oriented and international business environment that upholds the rule of law. We look forward to taking this conference as an opportunity to innovate ways of cooperation with parties at the conference in the judicial field, enrich the content of cooperation, improve the cooperation mechanism, and make positive contributions to forming a more just and equitable international economic governance system.

　　The BRICS International Competition Conference is an important event under the framework of the BRICS Summit. It has been held every two years since 2009 in BRICS countries on a rotating basis. The theme of this year's conference is "Opening?Competition?Development". Nearly 400 dignitaries participated in the conference, which was held online and offline. Discussions and exchanges were held on topics such as antimonopoly and market-oriented reform, fair competition and economic growth in the post-epidemic era, international cooperation in combating cross-border cartels, and the development of competition policies in the era of the digital economy. At the opening ceremony, Gan Lin, Deputy Director of the SAMR and Director of the Anti-Monopoly Bureau, and the heads of competition agencies of other BRICS countries signed the Chengdu Joint Statement of the Heads of BRICS Competition Authorities online.

　　Provincial officials Shi Xiaolin, Li Yunze and Wang Yihong, President of Sichuan Higher People's Court Wang Shujiang, officials of the SAMR and heads of relevant departments directly under the People's Government of Sichuan Province attended the conference in Chengdu.