The second summit meeting of BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) leaders started in Brazil's capital Brasilia on Thursday.

A foreign ministry official told media that the first round of the meeting would be conducted behind closed doors, with nine senior officials representing each of the nations. The delegates will break for an official photograph and then return to a large meeting with 20 officials on each side, which will be broadcast.

It will focus on issues including the world economic situation, the Group of 20, reform of global financial organizations, climate change and dialogue and cooperation among BRIC countries

The meeting was brought forward one day because China's President Hu Jintao had to return home to help coordinate rescue efforts following Wednesday morning's deadly quake in Qinghai Province.

The BRIC nations represent 26 percent of the land of the earth, and 42 percent of the world population. The term was coined by Goldman Sachs economist Jim O'Neill in 2001. The first BRIC summit took place in Russian city Yekaterinbug Russia in 2009. There the leaders discussed the world' s financial crisis, food and energy security and public health.