Under the theme "BRICS and Africa", the BRICS leaders summit kicks off today, where South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will host his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva along with about 50 other leaders in South Africa, as the Association of major emerging economies seeks to strengthen its presence as a force confronting Western hegemony in international affairs.

 

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Edited by| Hugh Gey

 

Politic section -  CJ journalist

 

Johannesburg – August,22,2023

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The 15th summit of the "BRICS" group is taking place at a time when the continent of Africa has become the scene of diplomatic battles again with the United States, Russia and China competing for economic and diplomatic influence.

The "BRICS" countries, namely Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, account for a quarter of the global economy, while more countries have expressed interest in joining the bloc ahead of its three-day summit hosted by Johannesburg.

The "BRICS" countries, which represent 40 percent of the world's population on three continents with varying levels of economic growth, share a desire to come up with a world order that they see as better reflecting their interests and strengthening their dominance.

"We urge the international community to refocus on development issues, support the BRICS cooperation mechanism to play a greater role in global governance and make the group's voice stronger,"Xi said in an article published by South African media yesterday.

Ramaphosa said on the eve of the summit that his country "cannot be dragged into a competition between world powers," firmly adhering to South Africa's historic policy of non-alignment.

It is worth noting that Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is the target of an international arrest warrant on suspicion of committing war crimes in Ukraine, will not attend the summit, and therefore Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was sent as his representative.

Interest is growing in the group, which began with four countries in 2009, and expanded the following year with the accession of South Africa.

Ahead of the summit, at least 40 countries have expressed interest in joining the group, including Iran, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh and Argentina, according to officials.

South Africa will put forward to the leaders of the "BRICS" countries a proposal to expand membership, while a decision on this is expected at the end of the summit, but analysts expressed caution about the matter.

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

China is excited about the bloc's rapid expansion and increasing influence, but observers say India is wary of its regional rival's intentions.

 

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