China will hold the rotating chair of the emerging-market bloc of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) next year and host its ninth summit in the southeastern Chinese city of Xiamen in September, President Xi Jinping announced on Oct 16.

China expects to work with all parties concerned to implement the consensuses reached at previous summits, deepen their partnerships and write a new chapter for the BRICS cooperation, Xi said at the eighth BRICS summit in the western Indian state of Goa. Xiamen, a tourist resort on the southeast coast of China, is known for its mild climate and beautiful scenery.

Xi served as vice mayor of Xiamen in the 1980s.