The People’s Bank of China recently issued three new collector coins to mark the Ninth BRICS Summit hosted in Xiamen, Fujian Province on Sept. 3-5.
BRICS is an acronym that represents five major emerging economies on the national level—Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The five nations first convened in 2009 in an attempt to increase trade levels and energy production among the five economies.
According to a story published by the China Internet Information Center this September, the BRICS nations “have constantly driven the reform and innovation of the global political and economic governance systems, and helped steer them in a fairer, more rational and more efficient development direction.”
“By means of mechanisms like meetings on security issues, counter-terrorism, and Internet security, the BRICS nations regularly exchange views, coordinate positions and make joint statements on major international and regional issues of common concern. BRICS firmly adheres to multilateralism, and has enhanced communication and coordination under major international bodies and cooperation frameworks, as well as contributing to building an open world economy and perfecting global economic governance.”
| Denomination | Metal | Weight | Diameter | Mintage |
| Five yuan | .999 per cent silver | 15 grams | 33 mm | 50,000 coins |
| 10 yuan | .999 per cent silver | 30 grams | 40 mm | 50,000 coins |
| 50 yuan | .999 per cent gold | Three grams | 18 mm | 20,000 coins |
The 50-yuan coin features only the BRICS logo (shown above) while the silver coins include additional design elements.
COIN DESIGN
The three coins, which were issued on Aug. 28, depict the logo for this year’s BRICS summit on the obverse. The silver five-yuan coin also features a shoreline while the silver 10-yuan coin depicts the Xiamen Sunlight Rock alongside a group of egrets. The gold 50-yuan coin features only the BRICS logo.
The words “BRICS XIAMEN SUMMIT” are engraved in English as well as simplified Chinese alongside the coin’s denomination.
The coins’ common reverse design includes the national emblem of the People’s Republic of China above the year-date.