Representatives from the main BRIC research institutions.

The BRIC-Think Tank Symposium kicked off Thursday in Beijing with the theme of "Development, Cooperation and Sharing."

The symposium aims to provide advice for the policy-makers who will attend the third summit of BRICS-country leaders in mid-April, Sun Jiazheng, chairman of China's Peaceful Development Foundation, said in remarks at the opening ceremony.

BRICS countries refer to the five major emerging economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. That summit will be held in the southern city of Sanya, Hainan Province.

Sun suggested three ways BRIC-country think tanks could play a better aid the quick and smooth development of the emerging economies. First, think tanks should pay more attention to examining the opportunities and challenges the five countries may encounter to offer more useful policy recommendations, he said.

Second, the think tanks should discuss the major problems that exist in the global economy and international financial system and promote the establishment of a fair, just, inclusive and orderly international economic order, Sun said.

Third, Sun called for active and dynamic interaction between research institutions from the BRICS countries by, for example, sharing the research results.

Representatives from the main research institutions from the BRIC countries had a lively discussion at the symposium and exchanged their ideas about the current world economic and political situation and issues of cooperation among BRIC countries.

They hoped to achieve consensus on issues of common interest; to help the emerging BRIC economies establish a more perfect, formal cooperation mechanism; and to play a more important and positive role in promoting worldwide economic recovery, reflecting the new multipolar world order, Liu Youfa, vice director of the China Institute of International Studies said.

China believes the BRICS countries will follow the principles of democracy and transparency and seek positive results from the summit, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said at a press briefing on Tuesday.

?BRIC-Think Tanks Symposium kicks off in Beijing Thursday.