India and Brazil have been expressing their contempt against China’s efforts to swiftly expand the BRICS block of emerging markets to include Saudi Arabia and Indonesia. It has been anticipated by experts that China is trying to increase its political clout in order to counter the US.
In the preparatory discussions for an upcoming BRICS Summit which will be held next month in Johannesburg, South Africa, countries have raised objections regarding the proposal of China to include Saudi Arabia and Indonesia in the group. According to an anonymous official, China has been persistently advocating for expansion in these discussions.
Dozens of other nations have shown interest in joining the alliance, fueling the West with concerns. It fears the possibility of this alliance becoming a threat to the US and the European Union. The BRICS organisation consists of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
Views of Member Nations
Brazil wants to avoid the expansion of BRICS because of the threat of provoking the US, while India is pushing for strict rules and regulations on how a country could align itself with the block without expanding formally. Any decision requires unanimity among the nations who will meet at the summit on August 22-24.
According to officials, India and Brazil want to discuss the possibility of adding countries to the group as observer nations. They will be discussing this with other members at the summit. South Africa doesn’t oppose the idea of expansion but is open to discussing various options for inclusion.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry reported to Bloomberg that the matter of expansion of membership to add more members had been authorised in the previous year’s BRICS meeting by consensus among all five members.
Russia is apprehensive about expanding its membership. According to the head of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, Russia does not hold a firm position on the issue. Russia is broadly in favour of expansion but would not impede collective decision.
Upcoming Meet at Johannesburg
The block aspires to establish itself as an economic and political force through its upcoming meet. It has also discussed plans of introducing a common currency but any tangible progress towards this endeavour seems a little far-fetched.
The BRICS Summit comes at a time of heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing and South Africa’s concern of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s attendance. He will be attending the summit virtually to avoid an International Criminal Court arrest warrant.
BRICS members have refrained from joining the Group of Seven (G7) for imposing sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. However, the New Development Bank established by BRICS froze Russian projects, leaving Moscow unable to access the block’s shared currency system.
What do India and Brazil Suggest?
India has suggested the inclusion of new emerging economies such as Nigeria and Argentina instead of Crown-ruled Sudi Arabia, should the organisation consider expanding. Saudi Arabia has moved closer to China and Russia in recent years. China is its top oil importing nation while Russia is essential for OPEC+ Alliance.
Brazil is torn between BRICS and G7, trying not to offend any block while maintaining a balance between the two. It has suggested the introduction of the categories of observer and partner countries which will allow them to progress before considering total inclusion. Brazil has expressed support towards Indonesia’s initiation of this process.
BRICS took shape in 2009-2010. The block represents over 42% of the world’s population, 18% of global trade, and accounts for 28% of the world’s GDP.
