The BRICS Summit kicks off in South Africa on Tuesday

Leaders of the member states of the "BRICS" group are convening in South Africa on Tuesday as the major emerging economies seek to enhance their presence as a counterforce against Western dominance in global affairs.

The "BRICS" countries — Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa — represent a quarter of the global economy, while more countries express interest in joining the bloc ahead of its three-day summit hosted in Johannesburg.

Security measures have been heightened across the city as South African President Cyril Ramaphosa hosts his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and around 50 other leaders.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend due to an international arrest warrant against him over suspicions of committing war crimes in Ukraine, with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov representing him.

The "BRICS" countries, representing 40% of the world's population across three continents with varying levels of economic growth, share the desire to establish a global system that better reflects their interests and enhances their influence.

The 15th summit of the group, themed "BRICS and Africa," comes at a time when the continent is once again a battleground for diplomatic battles as the United States, Russia, and China compete for economic and diplomatic influence.

Ramaphosa stated on the eve of the summit that his country "cannot be drawn into competition among global powers" and strongly reaffirmed South Africa's historical policy of non-alignment.

Xi mentioned in an article published in South African media on Monday that "we call on the international community to refocus on development issues and support BRICS' mechanism for greater representation in global governance and to make the BRICS voice stronger."

Interest in the group, which began with four countries in 2009 and expanded the following year with South Africa's inclusion, is growing.
Before the summit, at least 40 countries expressed interest in joining the group, including Iran, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, and Argentina, according to officials.

South Africa will propose to the leaders of the "BRICS" countries an expansion plan, with a decision on this matter expected to be made at the end of the summit.

However, analysts have expressed caution.

The issue of expanding "BRICS" raises divisions, especially for the two most powerful countries within it: China and India.

China is enthusiastic about rapidly expanding the bloc and increasing its influence, but observers point out that India is wary of its regional rival's intentions.

Janie Rosou, a political economist at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, said, "In my opinion, further expansion may be considered during this year, and a decision will not be made during the summit to allow more time" for studying the matter.

Jackie Slier, founder of the Institute for Security Studies in Pretoria, stated that "BRICS" relies on consensus, which presents a "major obstacle" to decision-making.

He added to AFP, "In the long term, I see the inevitable competition between China and India as the main challenge that 'BRICS' will ultimately face."



AFP