Leaders of the BRICS countries – Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa – gathered in Johannesburg yesterday for a summit where they will consider expanding the coalition as some members push for it to act as a counterweight to the West.

Heightened global tensions caused by the war in Ukraine and the growing rivalry between China and the United States have added some urgency to the effort to strengthen the coalition, which has at times suffered from internal divisions and a lack of a coherent vision.

South Africa welcomed China’s Xi Jinping, the leading proponent of BRICS expansion, for a visit yesterday morning ahead of talks with the group’s other leaders later in the day.

Brazilian President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, are also participating in the August 22-24 summit.

Russian President, Vladimir Putin, who has an international arrest warrant for war crimes, did not go to South Africa and is attending the meeting via video conference.

In addition to the issue of expansion, the strengthening of the use of the local currencies of the member-states is also on the agenda of the meeting. South African organizers say, however, that there will be no talk of a BRICS currency, an idea floated by Brazil earlier this year as an alternative to reliance on the dollar.

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The BRICS remains a disparate group, from China, the world’s second-largest economy now facing a slowdown, to South Africa, this year’s summit host and economic ‘minnow’ facing an energy crisis that has led to daily shutdowns.

India is increasingly reaching out to the West, as is Brazil with its new leader, while Russia is being hammered by Western sanctions over its war in Ukraine.

Two members – India and China – have occasionally clashed along their disputed border, increasing challenges to the group’s decision-making, which depends on unanimity.

Expansion has long been a goal of China, which hopes more members will add weight to a group that already hosts about 40 percent of the world’s population and produces a quarter of global GDP. The leaders sat down to dinner last night where they discussed the framework and criteria for accepting new members.

Yet expansion has become a point of contention. Russia is a proponent of admitting new members in order to counter its diplomatic isolation due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

India, which is wary of Chinese hegemony and has warned against hasty expansion, has positive intent and an open mind, according to Foreign Minister, Vinay Kwatra. Brazil, meanwhile, worries that a BRICS expansion will weaken its influence.

While a potential expansion of BRICS remains up in the air, the coalition’s commitment to defend the “Global South” and offer an alternative to the world order dominated by wealthy Western nations is already finding resonance.

More than 40 countries have expressed interest in joining BRICS, according to South African officials. Of these, nearly 24 have formally applied to become members, with some expected to send delegations to Johannesburg.

With information from: APA MPA, Reuters

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