Southeast Asia’s engagement with the BRICS bloc will help the region diversify its economy and diplomacy amid the changing global geopolitical landscape, experts say. While the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as a collective entity holds no membership status, multiple Southeast Asian nations maintain formal ties with the intergovernmental organization.
BRICS Membership and Partner Status Across Southeast Asia
Among ASEAN members, Indonesia holds full membership in the BRICS bloc, having joined in January, according to official reports. Meanwhile, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam participate as partner countries. Four Southeast Asian delegations attended the 17th BRICS Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, highlighting growing regional interaction with the emerging economies group.
Mustafa Izzuddin, a senior international affairs analyst at Solaris Strategies Singapore, stated that these four nations can draw upon their diplomatic experience within ASEAN to function as influential participants inside BRICS. According to Mustafa, these partnerships help amplify Global South voices in international governance and expand economic options for middle powers.
Economic Pressures and Multilateral Trade Defenses
The alignment of Southeast Asian economies with BRICS coincides with heightened international trade tensions and rising protectionism. United States President Donald Trump announced plans to impose additional tariffs on countries aligning with what he termed anti-American policies associated with BRICS, issuing letters regarding proposed tariff rates ranging from 25 to 40 percent.
Indonesian State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi confirmed that Indonesia faces potential US tariff increases owing to its BRICS membership, as reported by local media. In response to these financial pressures, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto emphasized his administration’s dedication to revitalizing multilateralism and fostering synergy among Global South nations to build an inclusive global governance framework.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim addressed the BRICS meeting by describing the bloc as a principled force capable of shaping a balanced international order. As the rotating chair of ASEAN, Anwar noted that Malaysia welcomes initiatives supporting fair trade, inclusive growth, and responsible artificial intelligence governance.
Safeguarding Regional Centrality
Regional specialists emphasize that engagement with BRICS does not undermine ASEAN’s core diplomatic positioning. Jaziri Alkaf Abdillah Suffian, chairman of BRICS International Malaysia and a former senator, stated that participation by member states safeguards the regional bloc’s centrality against external pressures rather than diluting it.
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According to Jaziri, ASEAN operates as a treaty-based organization focused on regional stability and economic integration, whereas BRICS functions as a flexible geo-economic caucus for major emerging economies. Aleksius Jemadu, an international relations lecturer at Pelita Harapan University in Indonesia, added that both blocs can mutually reinforce efforts to restore multilateralism within global trade systems.
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