The BRICS “family”, as the Chinese president has called it Xi Jinping, it’s getting bigger. The bloc of five emerging countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), which together represent a quarter of the world economy and bring together the 42% of the world populationopens its doors to others six new members: Argentina, Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. As of January 1, 2024, these countries will fatten a group that every day takes more shape as a possible force of counterweight to world order dominated by the West.
This first expansion of the BRICS since South Africa joined in 2010 undoubtedly means a win for china, who had been pressing for a long time to expand the bloc, something initially opposed by India and Brazil, which have ended up succumbing. “India fully supports the expansion of the BRICS group,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi finally said.
In a speech on the last day of the BRICS summit in Johannesburg, South Africa this week, Xi Jinping said that emerging countries are becoming increasingly most relevant in the international arena and that the summit would greatly contribute to the configuration of a new global economic and political order.
“Development is an inalienable right of all countries, not a privilege of a few. The BRICS countries should be equals on the path of development and revitalization, oppose acts of decoupling and disruption of industrial and supply chains, as well as economic coercion,” Xi said, taking a clear dart at his rival from Washington, which is in the midst of a crusade of technological sanctions against Beijing.
The new BRICS that will appear next year – it is unknown if they will look for a new name – includes pesos heavy oil like Iran and Saudi Arabia. They are the first members of the Middle East and have entered the sphere of influence of Beijing after the mediation of the second world power managed to get Riyadh and Tehran to re-establish relations.