BEIJING, March 31 (Xinhua)-- The fifth BRICS summit has promoted unity among major emerging economies and injected fresh impetus into the development of the cooperation mechanism, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Sunday.

Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the summit, which brought together leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, as part of his first overseas trip since assuming the presidency earlier this month.

The meeting, held from Tuesday to Wednesday in the South African port city of Durban, marked the first time that the high-profile annual gathering had come to Africa.