BRICS leaders are meeting on Tuesday, August 22, in South Africa to discuss ways for this group of five countries, which produces a quarter of the world's wealth, to expand its influence on the global political and economic stage.
The leaders of five emerging economies (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa), who are considering welcoming new members, are expected at 3 p.m. Greek time at a conference center in Johannesburg, where the summit will be held until Thursday.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa welcomes the presidents of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and China, Xi Jinping. India will be represented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russia by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
After months of speculation, Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes in Ukraine, will finally take part in the summit via video conference.
Representing a group of geographically scattered countries with uneven levels of economic growth, the BRICS countries share a common front of reservations about a world order that they believe serves the interests of rich countries, especially the United States.
«The traditional system of global governance has become dysfunctional, inadequate, and ineffective,» China's ambassador to Pretoria, Chen Xiangdong, told reporters on Friday, assuring that «the BRICS are becoming an increasingly solid force.» assuring them that "the BRICS are becoming an increasingly solid force.".
«They are looking for multilateral spaces that will not automatically be dominated by Western powers,» explains Kobus van Staden, a South African researcher specializing in China-Africa relations, to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Little information is known about the summit agenda. However, according to Anil Suklal, South Africa's ambassador to Asia and the BRICS countries, who spoke to AFP, «enlargement is an important item on the agenda.».
Praetoria stated last month that approximately 40 countries have requested membership or expressed interest in joining the group.
Iran, Argentina, Bangladesh, and Saudi Arabia are among the main countries involved. In Africa, Algeria, Egypt, and Ethiopia have expressed their desire to join the coalition.
China seeks to expand its influence vis-à-vis the United States. Russia, under the weight of sanctions due to its invasion of Ukraine, needs diplomatic allies.
Pretoria, which has refused to condemn Russia since the start of the conflict, is already an influential ally in Africa, becoming a new diplomatic stake on the world stage.
Moscow and Beijing are vying for influence on the continent amid divisions fueled by the Ukrainian conflict.
The summit, whose theme is “BRICS and Africa,” comes at a time when «the existing multilateral system is being severely tested,» says Steven Grozd of the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA).
However, the BRICS countries «are not in a position to impose a new form of multilateralism» at this stage, «power remains in the hands of Western countries,» the expert believes.
And «any expansion of the BRICS will complicate the geopolitical situation,» warns Van Staden, with each newcomer bringing «its own share of problems, regional relations, or [relations] with the United States.».
A protest against Russia, organized by Amnesty International and a local Ukrainian association, is scheduled to take place on Tuesday morning in Johannesburg. The organizers are calling on the leaders of the summit to «demand that the Russian authorities put an end to the attack on Ukraine.».
In total, around fifty heads of state from «BRICS-friendly» countries are expected to attend, «demonstrating the importance and weight of South Africa,» Cyril Ramaphosa emphasized yesterday, Saturday.
The last summit was organized online last year by China.
