‘BRICS To Become A Global Rival To G7’ – Xi Jinping, Chinese President
The Chinese president Xi Jinping has stated that he will be pushing the bloc of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) of emerging markets to become a geopolitical rival to the Group of Seven (G7).
The Chinese president Xi Jinping has stated that he will be pushing the bloc of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) of emerging markets to become a geopolitical rival to the Group of Seven (G7), which includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, this week as leaders from different developing countries across the world convene to debate the forum’s biggest expansion in more than a decade.
More than 60 heads of state and government have been invited by South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, to the BRICS Summit, which will kick off on Wednesday, August 23, in Johannesburg and may see several of them invited to join the bloc.
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DISAGREEMENT ON THE BLOC
However, as the deadline nears, New Delhi has locked horns with Beijing over the expansion, as Financial Times reported.
Tensions are rising between India and China over whether the BRICS should be a non-aligned club for the economic interests of developing nations or a political entity that openly opposes the West. 23 nations are interested in joining, South African officials told the publication.
“If we expand Brics to account for a similar portion of world GDP as the G7, then our collective voice in the world will grow stronger,” said one Chinese official, who told the publication.
South Africa’s foreign minister, Naledi Pandor, stated this month that it was “extremely wrong” to interpret the potential Brics expansion as an attack against the West. The potential inclusion of Iran, Belarus, and Venezuela will certainly be seen in western capitals as a move to ally with Russia and China, though.
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COUNTRIES TO JOIN BRICS
Indonesia,Saudi Arabia, and Argentina are among the first new members who have expressed their interest in joining the bloc since South Africa was invited into the original group of Brazil, Russia, India, and China in 2010.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be attending the Brics Summit in Johannesburg. Pretoria won’t have to fulfil its legal obligation to detain the Russian president after the International Criminal Court charged him with starting the war in Ukraine.
However, it’s reported that Putin will attend via video link.
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived at midnight last night for the BRICS summit. Already, Brazilian President Lula da Silva is in the country, and more heads of state will arrive throughout the day.
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Brazil’s President, had recently spoken in favour of allowing Argentina, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates to join the BRICS.
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