China's foreign ministry has said it will strengthen technological cooperation with BRICS members and deepen industrial linkages, in what amounts to follow-up to the recent summit.

BRICS has grown in economic weight and share of world population since enlargement. Members differ in industrial structure and stage of development, however, leaving the concrete form of cooperation as a task.

Fields cited include the digital economy, new energy and agricultural technology, with mutual recognition of standards and certification and exchanges of technical personnel listed as working items.

Industrial linkage means connecting supply chains. Proposals to join raw-material sources, processing stages and final demand within the membership have been under discussion.

At the implementation stage, settlement, logistics and certification procedures are decisive. Where institutions and standards differ, a gap opens between cooperation documents and actual trade volumes.

Korea and Taiwan are not members but are not unaffected, since a considerable number of their firms supply components and equipment into member markets.

This paper will follow the matter through subsequent working documents rather than declaratory language. The number of agreements signed and changes to customs procedures are observable indicators.