Chinese President Xi Jinping said Tuesday that cooperation among BRICS countries is conducive to a more balanced world economy and the improvement of global economic governance.

Xi made the remarks in a joint interview with Xinhua and media outlets from the other four BRICS countries ahead of his first foreign visits since his election as Chinese President last week.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced Monday that Xi will visit Russia, Tanzania, South Africa and the Republic of Congo on March 22-30 and attend the fifth BRICS summit on March 26-27 in Durban, South Africa.