Meeting at a summit in Johannesburg, the five emerging countries of the Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) agreed on the principle of an expansion of the bloc, this Wednesday, August 23. Expanding the membership of the BRICS, which already make up 42% of the world’s population and produce a quarter of the world’s wealth, was the main focus of this summit.
Wishing to extend their influence, the Brics must now consider the strategic choice of new members. “We have adopted a document that sets out guidelines, principles and review processes for countries wishing to become members of the BRICS,” South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor told state radio.
This decision is a “positive” step, assured the minister, who, however, did not specify the names of the incoming countries will be announced at this summit. The “details” will be worked out before the end of the meeting, which is Thursday evening, she simply added.
Some forty countries have already applied for membership or expressed an interest in joining the group. Iran, Cuba, Argentina, Bangladesh, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia are among the contenders. These numerous interests show, according to the Brics, the growing influence of emerging countries on the world stage.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said earlier that the bloc as a whole “fully” supported the idea of ??enlargement.
China, a heavyweight that weighs around 70% of the group’s GDP, has, for its part, clearly reiterated its intention to gain power. “The BRICS should work for multilateralism and not create small blocs. We need to integrate more countries into the BRICS family,” President Xi Jinping urged.
But this process cannot be triggered only if this decision is taken unanimously. Cyril Ramaphosa said he “hopes to find a clear solution” on issues relating to the expansion.
“The Brics are obviously divided at the moment,” said Gustavo de Carvalho, an international relations researcher based in South Africa. In addition to India, Brazil, officially pro-opener, fears that an expansion would “dilute” its influence globally and within the bloc, according to the specialist.
Pretoria pleads for the integration of African countries, on a continent that has become a new chessboard in the world diplomatic game. Russia, on the other hand, “desperately needs friends and partners” with the war in Ukraine and “no wonder they are in favor of expansion,” de Carvalho continued.
Rio, Pretoria and Delhi will also have to weigh their proximity to China and Russia against the risk of moving away from a major trading partner like the United States. The BRICS reaffirmed their “non-aligned” position at the summit, at a time when divisions have been deepened by the conflict in Ukraine.
“We all stand for a multipolar world order,” Vladimir Putin said. Under an international arrest warrant for war crimes in Ukraine, the Russian president spoke at the summit by videoconference.
The United States said Tuesday that it does not see the BRICS as future “geopolitical rivals”, saying it wants to maintain “solid relations” with Brazil, India and South Africa.