The BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) want to discuss expanding the union of countries at their summit in South Africa. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, the host, said after a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping today that they have “similar ideas” to China. BRICS is a very important forum for international cooperation.
According to the coalition, about 40 countries have expressed interest in joining. The BRICS countries already account for 40% of the world’s population and 25% of the world’s economic output. After meeting with Ramaphosa, Xi particularly emphasized expanding bilateral relations with South Africa.
Russian President Vladimir Putin did not attend the three-day meeting because the International Criminal Court had issued an international arrest warrant for him. In South Africa, it was discussed whether Putin should be arrested if he had arrived.
There is pressure within the BRICS countries to expand the group to include countries such as Indonesia or Argentina. With the expansion, Russia and China want to create a counterweight to the G-7 alliance of the most important western industrialized countries. India, Brazil and South Africa, which also maintain close ties with Western countries, are reluctant to agree.
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