Following the successful holding of the 9th BRICS summit, leaders and entrepreneurs from the five member nations have called for improvement of people’s livelihood, with a focus on e-commerce and shared economy.

At the opening ceremony of the BRICS Business Forum in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian on Sept. 3, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for member nations to pursue innovation-driven development created by smart manufacturing, with a focus on e-commerce and the digital economy.

According to statistics from Xinhua, around 47.2 percent of the global e-commerce users are from BRICS nations, whose cross-border online retail sales account for 23 percent of the world’s total. The two figures are expected to grow to 61 percent and 41 percent in 2022, respectively.

The development of e-commerce has also led to the popularity of mobile and online payment systems in BRICS nations. China's Alipay, for instance, has a leading presence in Russian and Brazilian markets, providing locals with an easier means to shop products made in China.

“China is a leading country when it comes to e-commerce, and it should share its experience and technologies with other BRICS nations, in an effort to improve people’s livelihood,” said Li Yong, Director General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization.

In addition to the digital economy, the sharing economy has also become a new highlight for intra-BRICS cooperation. Wang Xiaofeng, CEO of Mobike, a bike-sharing company, told Xinhua that Mobike operates in over 170 cities worldwide, offering both Chinese and foreign users better smart bike services.

“This is a sharing century. We’ve invested in seven Internet travel platforms, and will bring our experience in smart traffic to foreign markets, helping them to upgrade their local industry,” said Cheng Wei, CEO of Didi Chuxing, a car-hailing app company.