BRICS Leaders Meet to Boost Global Influence

• South Africa hosts, leaders from China, India, Brazil join.
• Russia’s Putin attends remotely due to legal issue.
• BRICS wants fair world governance, more justice.

Leaders from the BRICS emerging economies are convening in Johannesburg this week, aiming to bolster the bloc’s global influence and advocate for a shift in global geopolitical dynamics. The annual three-day summit, set to commence on Tuesday, will be hosted by South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa and attended by China’s President Xi Jinping, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin will participate remotely due to an International Criminal Court arrest warrant against him. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will attend the summit in person.

The Chinese ambassador to Pretoria, Chen Xiaodong, highlighted that the traditional global governing system is perceived as dysfunctional and deficient, leading BRICS nations to strengthen their role in upholding international justice. The bloc’s appeal has grown, with over 40 countries expressing interest in joining, and 23 of them formally submitting membership applications. Originating in 2009, the BRICS collectively contribute to 23% of global GDP and comprise 42% of the world’s population.

Anil Sooklal, South Africa’s ambassador-at-large for Asia and the BRICS, noted that countries are drawn to the BRICS due to the polarized state of global affairs exacerbated by events like the Russia-Ukraine crisis. These nations, predominantly in the Global South, seek alternatives to being dictated on matters of support, behavior, and sovereignty. Lebogang Legodi, an international politics lecturer at the University of Limpopo, echoed this sentiment, indicating that aspiring members view the BRICS as a counterbalance to existing world order dynamics.

Approximately 50 other leaders will participate in a “friends of BRICS” initiative concurrent with the summit. The event’s theme, “BRICS and Africa: Partnership for mutually accelerated growth, sustainable development and inclusive multilateralism,” reflects the emphasis on collaboration between BRICS countries and African nations. Steven Gruzd from the Africa-Russia Africa project at the South African Institute of International Affairs described the summit as occurring at a critical juncture. An announcement regarding potential BRICS membership expansion is anticipated at the summit’s conclusion, as revealed by Sooklal.

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