They wanted to be more influential internationally and therefore expanded their alliances: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. In some cases, however, the five states are pursuing their own interests.
Johannesburg (AP) – Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa are looking to offset Western economic dominance. Therefore, their alliance, Brics, must grow and become “Brics plus” – there is agreement on that.
But each country has its own agenda. At the summit that started today in Johannesburg, South Africa, the focus will be on discussing expansion. What the five member countries expect:
Russia
For Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is isolated internationally due to his war of aggression against Ukraine, Brics is the ideal place to demonstrate that his country still has allies. According to this logic, “Brics plus” also means: the more, the better.
Most importantly, Russia is likely to insist that Belarus, invited to the Brics summit for the first time, be accepted as a member. Thousands of Russian troops are stationed in Belarus, and ruler Alexander Lukashenko has also made the country a location for attacks on Ukraine.
In addition, Putin wants to persuade other countries to abandon the dollar. The Kremlin leader has long criticized the US currency as an instrument of political power struggles, and he blames Washington. But most importantly, the significant depreciation of the Russian currency and Western financial sanctions are likely reasons why he advocated that countries do business in national currencies. According to him, the development bank NDB (New Development Bank) which was established by the Brics countries should also help.
China
China is seen as the driving force behind the Brics Group’s expansion. According to comments in China’s state newspaper, the Global Times, Beijing hopes for a “fairer world economic order”. According to China’s state broadcaster CGTN, the Brics countries “bring positive energy to the global economy”.
The Shanghai-based FIS has been growing: More recently, Uruguay, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bangladesh were allowed to join. According to experts, China wants to use “Brics plus” as a platform for political activism against the US and put China at the center of the world order.
India
India’s vision for the Brics Group revolves around enhancing cooperation between developing and developing countries. Unlike China and Russia, the country does not want to take a position against the United States, with which it has good relations.
“Brics plus” also takes a somewhat critical view of India. The country is worried about losing influence in the group with the possible entry of some pro-China countries. This is motivated by tensions in relations between India and China, both of which compete with each other for influence in their respective regions. In addition, India will work to ensure Pakistan stays away from the group. Due to the many conflicts, these two hostile neighbors have been at war with each other several times.
south Africa
Similar to India, diplomacy is a top priority in South Africa. The Brics are neither anti-Western nor pro-Russian, Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor said before the summit. In contrast, South Africa is concerned about increasing “South-South cooperation”, as Western industrial powers increasingly ignore the concerns of Southern countries.
South Africa hopes to increase economic cooperation and reduce dependence on the global economy that uses the US dollar as its reserve currency. South Africa has invited dozens of African leaders to this week’s summit in hopes of adding many new members from the continent to bring greater international attention to Africa’s concerns.
Brazil
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva also campaigned for other countries’ acceptance. According to media reports, he supports the entry of countries such as Argentina, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Therefore, “Brics plus” should be a counterbalance to the G7 group.
The G7 is a “club” that shouldn’t exist because the way it talks about geopolitics is out of date, says Lula. In addition, Lula has repeatedly criticized international structures and institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which often help “drown countries”. Brazil’s neighbor Argentina owes the IMF about $44 billion.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:230822-99-912660/4
