Critical moment when toys should be kept in the pram

History teaches us that multilateralism, equity and justice can keep war and conflict at bay, while unilateralism and power politics aggravate disputes and confrontation.

President Xi Jinping's observation in a speech on Tuesday at the 12th BRICS Summit that countries should heed the lessons of the past would seem a simple one for the world to have learned after the devastating conflicts of the 20th century. Yet unfortunately, as he said, the deficits in governance, trust, development and peace are widening instead of narrowing.

That has been made all the more evident by the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, which after almost a year is still wreaking havoc around the world, posing a grave threat to people's lives and well-being, and causing the worst recession since the Great Depression.