Leaders from five developing nations, accounting for nearly half the world’s population, are gathering in Johannesburg for the 15th BRICS Summit. The summit will discuss the expansion of the emerging market grouping, the war in Ukraine, and relations with the West. The meeting will be hosted by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and will include Chinese President Xi Jinping, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Russian President Vladimir Putin will join virtually due to an arrest warrant against him from the International Criminal Court for war crimes. South Africa, as an ICC signatory, would have been required to honor the warrant if Putin had arrived in the country.
The summit will also focus on the possible expansion of BRICS, with more than 40 countries expressing interest in joining. However, final decisions on new members are unlikely to be made during the summit. The aim is to establish a clear process, criteria, and timeframe for applications and admittance. There are differing views on expansion among the existing members, with India historically being concerned about increasing Chinese influence within BRICS. Russia, on the other hand, is more open to expansion due to its isolation in the international community. Brazil has voiced concerns about potentially diluting the group’s effectiveness.
The summit will also address the desire of BRICS and affiliated countries to reduce their risk exposure in the international financial system and strengthen their currencies and liquidity positions. Russian and Chinese officials have taken an anti-Western stance in their characterization of the BRICS bloc, aiming to challenge U.S. dominance over the global political and economic system. However, South Africa, India, and Brazil have signaled their intention to maintain closer ties with traditional Western partners. The BRICS group operates on consensus and seeks to collaborate on aspects where their interests align, rather than forming a unilateral alliance against the West.
BRICS does not aim to replace the G7, but rather seeks to become more influential in global discussions. While there may be rivalry between the two blocs, especially with the splits caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, BRICS is not an alliance like NATO. The hope for this summit is to have more nuanced discussions on the role of BRICS and its influence in global decisions.
