Xiamen awaits BRICS summit in September

Xiamen international conference and exhibition center will host the 9th BRICS Summit in Xiamen, East China's Fujian province on Sept 3-5. [Photo/People's Daily Online]

People arriving these days at Xiamen Gaoqi international airport, East China's coastal Fujian province, are quick to notice that there is an important event in the offing. Banners of the Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, BRICS economic bloc summit to hold in Xiamen from Sept 3-5 are already fluttering in the hallways of the busy airport. Sponsored by a local bank, the red banners carry the message, "Welcome to BRICS summit" in English and Chinese.

Summit theme

With theme, "BRICS: Stronger partnership for a brighter future," the summit's main venue will be the Xiamen international conference and exhibition center. Elsewhere on the 13.7-km-long island with a population of almost 4 million inhabitants, discussions tend to center on the forthcoming BRICS leaders' summit – the second time China will host the event after 2011.

All hands on deck for BRICS summit

Preparations for a successful event are already in full gear. Xiamen officials on May 22 launched a 100-day countdown to the 9th BRICS summit. "BRICS Xiamen summit is fast approaching. We have drawn up schedules and kept everything in progress," Pei Jinjia, secretary of Xiamen Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) told a press conference at the C&D Hotel, Xiamen last May.

The Philippines News Agency cited Pei as saying then that preparations for the biggest international event to be hosted by Xiamen were based on five guidelines. These are avoiding extravagance, ensuring that the event benefits the city and its citizens, assuring security and safety, providing quality logistic services and encouraging massive public participation.