On May 16, 2008, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim attended the foreign ministers' meeting of the four countries in Yekaterinburg, Russia. The four foreign ministers had an in-depth exchange of views and reached broad consensus on deepening pragmatic cooperation and strengthening communication and coordination in international affairs.

Yang said that China, Russia, India and Brazil are important forces safeguarding world peace and promoting common development. Building a harmonious world with a lasting peace and common prosperity cannot be separated from the four countries' positive contributions. Strengthening dialogues and cooperation between the four countries is conducive to promoting multilateralism, finding solutions to global issues, and exerting positive influence on the making of international agenda and the discussions over major international issues. It therefore corresponds with the common interests of the four countries and the international community. The four countries should strengthen bilateral relations and solidify the basis of their cooperation; increase discussions, coordination, and positive influence on major and pressing international issues. The four countries should take a step-by-step approach to improve the level of dialogue, communication, coordination and cooperation among the four countries.

Yang said. This year is the mid-term appraisal of the millennium development goals (MDGs). The relevant parties should take this as an opportunity to push for a comprehensive and balanced development of the MDG throughout the world. The countries need to promote a global partnership for development. Developing countries have priority responsibilities for their own developments. Developed countries should also undertake their responsibilities and fulfill their commitments on providing aid. There is a need to establish a MDGs appraisal mechanism and comprehensively assess the implementation of various countries' MDGs and the fulfillment of developed countries' commitments. There is a need to carry forward the positive results of the high-level conference on MDGs held in September this year, further pool political consensus, mobilize more development resources, strengthen international development agencies, and lay a good foundation for the fulfillment of the MDGs as scheduled. China is using a comprehensive, coordinated, and sustainable scientific outlook on development to guide its economic development and is committed to building a well-off society in an all-round way. This is in compliance with the principles and contents of the MDGs. Now the Chinese side has fulfilled ahead of schedule the MDGs on eliminating poverty.

Yang said that the four countries are all important economies and therefore should make joint efforts to maintain the balanced, coordinated and sustainable development of the global economy. The four countries need to maintain the impetus of self-development and show more concern for the issue of development. The main reasons for grain price hikes at present are the international capital speculation, depreciation of US dollars, the soaring oil price and the decrease of grain storage. China's self-supply of grain has reached 95 per cent. The annual import volume of grain to China accounts for only 2% of the world's grain trade. China succeeded in feeding 22% of the world's total population with less than 9% of the world's total arable land. This was a huge contribution to the global grain issue. To resolve the current grain security issue, the countries need to make joint efforts, increase substantial input and bring into full play the leading and coordinating role of the United Nations.

Yang said that the focus of climate change is to execute the Bali Roadmap and push the international negotiations on climate change towards positive progress. In the process, the countries need to uphold the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities", promote balanced progress, complete the dual-track negotiations in a balanced and timely manner and let the United Nations to play a leading role in guiding the whole world in combating climate change.

Yang also expounded China's position on a series of issues including disarmament, non-proliferation, combating terrorism, curbing crime and drugs trafficking, and the reform of the United Nations.

The four countries all agreed to establish a more democratic international system on the basis of the rule of law and multilateralism, enhance the central role of the United Nations in promoting international peace, security and development, establish a just international economic system, deal with common challenges to international security through multilateral diplomacy, and peacefully resolve international disputes by political and diplomatic means. The four countries emphasized that disarmament and non-proliferation are mutually reinforcing and the four countries also reiterated their oppositions to an arms race in the outer space.

The foreign ministers of Russia, India and Brazil reaffirmed their support for the Beijing Olympic Games.

After the meeting, the four foreign ministers issued the Joint Communiqué of the Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the People's Republic of China, the Russian Federation, the Republic of India and the Federative Republic of Brazil and the press together.