BRICS

• The enlargement will grow the association’s membership to 11, and increase its envisaged role as a geopolitical alternative to global institutions dominated by the west.
• The Brics five represent about 42% of the world’s population and more than 23% of world GDP.
• Using the IMF’s 2022 GDP data, we can deduce that it will account for about 30% of global GDP.
• The disparate nature of the six new members is bound to spark debate about the real nature of Brics.

Understanding the nature of Brics

• Brics is not an organisation (it has no headquarters, secretariat or treaty).
• But it does have a formal institution that is jointly owned – the New Development Bank.
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  South Africa's role as host of the BRICS summit is fraught with dangers.
• As a political scientist interested in global politics, I have written about Brics and its potential for changing the status quo.
• With hindsight, I can assert that certain principles have informed it since its establishment and first summit in 2009.


The association self-reportedly seeks secure sustainable development for itself and the global south, to safeguard and advance multilateralism, to institute reform for the goal of representative institutions, and to achieve solidarity among members.

Economic development

• Economics comes first in the group; at its root, it is a collective of emerging economies eager to sustain and improve their economic trajectory.
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  China’s Africa strategy is shifting from extraction to investment – driven from the industry-rich Hunan region

  The group’s first, and so far only, notable establishment is the New Development Bank, primarily to finance infrastructure development.

Multilateralism

• The second value refers to the group’s concern about the use of entities outside the UN to pursue global objectives.
• The use of force can only be considered legitimate if the decision is sanctioned by the UN.

Global governance reform

• Thirdly, the Brics countries have long pushed for leaders of global institutions to be elected in a transparent and democratic way.
• For example, the president of the World Bank has always been an American, and the managing director of the IMF a European.

Solidarity

• Finally, the members have articulated solidarity with one another in a number of declarations, beginning in 2010.
• Read more:
  When two elephants fight: how the global south uses non-alignment to avoid great power rivalries

  In light of criticism and sanctions plans against China, for its alleged suppression of the Uyghur-Muslim population, and Russia, for invading Ukraine, solidarity has come to mean silence or nonalignment.

A blank slate

• This has proved beneficial for member countries hosting Brics summits.
• They get to set the agenda and use it for their ends – without upsetting the consensus.
• Brazil and Russia have inserted issues that are important to their region, and often invited leaders of neighbouring countries to retreats.

• In celebration of South Africa hosting the 15th BRICS Summit, the BAIC Group South Africa plant is set to realize the localized production of BAIC's own brands in 2023.
• Noting he has witnessed the vigorous growth of China-South Africa relations, Xi, on his fourth state visit to South Africa, said that he hopes both countries will continue their friendship and deepen cooperation.
• The last three state visits made by Xi to South Africa were in 2013, 2015 and 2018.
• This year marks the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Africa.

• During the summit, BRICS leaders will conduct discussions on such topics as strengthening BRICS cooperation and expanding the BRICS mechanism.
• The steady augmentation of the BRICS countries' economic strength provides the foundation for the rapid advancement of BRICS cooperation.
• The macroeconomic stability of the BRICS countries has laid an important foundation for the enduring attractiveness of the BRICS mechanism.
• Under the new circumstances, the BRICS countries can make new contributions to driving world multipolarity, economic globalization, and democratization of international relations, so that the world can hear more BRICS voices and witness greater BRICS contributions.

• Over the past 17 years since the BRICS mechanism was established, BRICS countries have upheld the BRICS spirit of openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation, constantly expanded areas of cooperation, enriched the connotation of cooperation and achieved fruitful results.
• A large number of emerging market countries and developing countries have shown strong willingness to further strengthen cooperation with BRICS countries.
• During the 2017 BRICS summit in China's Xiamen, China for the first time proposed the "BRICS Plus" cooperation model, building an important platform of solidarity and cooperation for emerging market countries and developing countries.
• As more emerging market countries and developing countries deeply integrate into BRICS cooperation, it will demonstrate greater appeal with even more substantial cooperation results, and become a dynamic force making constructive changes to the global governance system.