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The economic changes in 2012 indicated that the economic soundness of BRICS countries is much weaker than the United States and Japan. In 2012, the economy in both the United States and Japan returned to steady growth, which demonstrating the strength of their resistance to external forces. Therefore, the singularity of growth momentum, slow growth transformation, and weaker innovation capacity and international competitiveness are the fundamental reasons leading to the decline of economic growth in BRICS countries.

So what should the BRICS countries do? In order to cope with changes in the internal and external environment and various issues, what should BRICS countries do to overcome challenges, and steady growth, relive yesterday’s glory and continue rising abruptly? All BRICS countries have realized their own economic problems and disadvantages and issued new strategic plans and policies for future development. But how should BRICS countries do to put polices into practice, accelerate growth transition and achieve catch-up development targets? The variation in the development of BRICS countries is large and further promoting the growth in BRICS countries is difficult. This is also the central issue of this report.

Another issue that the public is really concerned is that how the BRICS countries will be in the future. Optimistic and active people think that BRICS countries will rise and all of these countries will have a bright future; but pessimistic and negative predictions toward the fate of the BRICS countries are rampant as well. How to examine the future development of BRICS countries from an objective, comprehensive, fair and forward-looking perspective, and come to a time-tested conclusion will be the benchmark for testing researchers' rigorous spirit of exploration.

Around the above issues, authors from China, Russia, Brazil and the United States try to analyze the current development changes, characteristics, circumstances and future development transformation of the BRICS countries through detailed observation and in-depth thinking. By the general report, country report and thematic report, they will share the development history, growing pains and the exploration of steady growth in BRICS countries. Writers make a comprehensive analysis and outlook of the development and transformation in BRICS countries; they review the economic development and characteristics in 2012 and forecast the BRICS countries’ future development in 2013; they give detailed descriptions and analyses of the BRICS countries' opportunities and challenges, industrial development and cooperation, foreign trade, financial cooperation, trade facilitation measures, interaction and cooperation with international organizations, and evaluations from Western academia; furthermore, they also list the main events of cooperation and exchange among BRICS countries in 2012.