2023-08-24 10:45:56
The Brics countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa), meeting at a summit in Johannesburg, will welcome six new members next January, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced Thursday, August 24. Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia and Iran will join this alliance of large emerging countries which currently represents 40% of the population and a quarter of the world’s GDP.
The enthusiasm is almost collective: the expansion of the “club of five”, at the heart of discussions at the 15th Brics summit, opens up a “new chapter”, according to the South African president. Xi Jinping’s China, accounting for around 70% of the alliance’s GDP, predicts a “bright future for the BRICS countries”.
About forty candidate countries
However, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was more reserved, before giving the green light for the opening of the group. India considers that enlargement serves above all the interests of its Chinese rival. China, the heavyweight of the Brics, is counting on a rapprochement of the countries of the global South to open up new commercial prospects.
Some forty countries had applied for membership or expressed an interest, demonstrating the growing appeal of this alliance, which aims to be an alternative to the G7, the alliance of developed democracies (Germany, Canada, United States, France, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom). The unanimity of the five Brics countries was required to approve the entry of new members.
At the summit, they «adopted a document that defines the guidelines, principles and review processes for countries wishing to become members of the BRICS”, explained South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor. However, nothing has filtered out regarding the criteria used to admit a new member.
Among the countries selected, three are members of OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries): Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. This integration could offer the enlarged Brics bloc a prominent place in the hydrocarbons market.
Towards a “new international order”?
“China and India, members of the BRICS, are already the main importers of crude from the Gulf countries, and also the main trading partners of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries. Joining the BRICS will strengthen economic cooperation between the kingdom and member countries,” already indicated the group in a press release of July 19, anticipating this enlargement.
“The role and importance of the Brics in the world continues to grow”, rejoiced Vladimir Putin, who had not made the trip to the top. “The Brics will continue to open up to new members”, said Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who imagines the Brics becoming “the driving force of a new international order”.
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