Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a speech titled "Keeping Abreast of the Trend of the Times to Achieve Common Development" at the BRICS Business Forum in Johannesburg, South Africa, July 25, 2018. (Xinhua/Wang Ye)

JOHANNESBURG, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday called on BRICS members to seize opportunities, increase input in innovation and focus on creating new areas of growth.

In the unfolding new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, new things will inevitably emerge and take the place of old ones, said the Chinese president while addressing the BRICS Business Forum in Johannesburg, South Africa.

He said BRICS countries should focus on creating new areas of growth and replace old growth drivers with new ones.

Xi urged member nations to advance structural reform, remove all institutional barriers to innovation and fully unlock innovation potential and energize the market.

"Those who fail to keep abreast of the trend of the times will fall behind and become irrelevant," said Xi, adding that every country has an equal right to development in the face of new opportunities brought by new science and technology.

"We should develop a global perspective, boost international exchanges and cooperation in innovation, and fully leverage each other's comparative strengths and resource endowment, so as to enable more countries and people to benefit from scientific and technological advances," he noted.

He also pointed out that countries should ease the impact of application of new science and technology on traditional industries and create new job opportunities in the process of fostering new industries.