Light show at the BRICS summit held in Kazan, Russia on October 23, 2024. Photo: He Zhuoqian/GT
After Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said on Monday that Russia had received confirmation from some countries that they were ready to become a BRICS partner, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Tuesday announced the BRICS Partner Country Mechanism. He praised it as a “new milestone” in the development process. This means granting status to partner countries from January 1, 2025.
According to Chinese experts interviewed by the Global Times, the addition of BRICS partner countries will improve BRICS membership, both in terms of solidifying “greater BRICS” cooperation and the collective rise of the Global South in the geopolitical landscape. It is said to be another milestone in the country’s expansion. In addition, in 2025, the BRICS mechanism will be further built and enriched, and will play a greater role in further promoting an equal and orderly multipolar world and an inclusive economic globalization that benefits everyone. They said it is expected that this will be achieved.
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According to Russian media RT, Russian presidential aide Ushakov said nine countries will officially join BRICS as partner countries on January 1, and BRICS remains open to like-minded partners. I confirmed that.
The new “partner country” status was approved at the BRICS summit, which Russia hosted in Kazan in October. This status grants permanent participation in BRICS summits, special sessions of foreign ministers’ meetings, and other high-level events. Partners can also contribute to the group’s outcome document, RT reported.
Ushakov told Russian media: “Currently, we have received confirmation from Belarus, Bolivia, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda and Uzbekistan that they are ready to become BRICS partner countries.” “From January 1, 2025, they will officially acquire the status of a BRICS partner country… However, we expect in the near future that we will receive responses from four more countries, to which invitations were also sent.” We expect it to come,” Russian news agency Tass reported.
In a separate report, Tass added that Kremlin aides have expressed interest in a systematic dialogue with the BRICS group by more than 20 countries in addition to selected partner countries.
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning commented on the Russian confirmation at a press conference on Tuesday, saying, “In October, President Xi Jinping attended the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan and discussed the establishment of a partner country mechanism. “We have reached important agreements with the leaders of the BRICS countries.” This is another milestone in the development process of BRICS after its historic membership expansion. ”
After the summit, China actively cooperated with Russia, the BRICS chairman, and implemented mechanisms with other BRICS countries. Mao said a list of BRICS partner countries was finally agreed upon, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Uganda.
“The addition of partner countries to the BRICS family will raise BRICS cooperation to new heights, increase the representativeness of the BRICS mechanism, and make BRICS more visible in its attractiveness and influence, encouraging solidarity and cooperation between the two countries. We see it becoming a major platform to promote the “Global South,” a spokesperson said.
China will cooperate with other BRICs member countries and partner countries, follow the spirit of openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation, expand practical cooperation in various fields, and promote the high-quality development of greater BRICS cooperation. We are prepared to promote the development of cooperative relations with China. Mao Zedong said that it is a community with a shared destiny for humanity.
Wang Youming, director of the Institute of Developing Countries at the China Institute of International Affairs in Beijing, told the Global Times that the nine countries from Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America represent broader representation and an expanding circle of friends. Ta. It will help countries in the Global South work together to increase their visibility and voice on the international stage.
Mr. Wang said the successful entry of nine partner countries into the BRICS family suggests that the application of China’s proposed “BRICS Plus” in the development of the BRICS mechanism is successful.
Wang Yiwei, a professor at the School of International Relations at Renmin University of China, told the Global Times that the growing popularity of BRICS highlights emerging countries’ demands for a more just world order and reform of the global governance system. The collective rise of the Global South takes hold.
The expert pointed out that populism is currently rampant in some Western countries, leading to an increasing number of countries shirking their responsibilities in international affairs and failing to keep their promises. On the other hand, the sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States and its allies have led many countries to realize that so-called public goods provided by the United States and Western countries could end up being weaponized, and that the I came to realize that the underlying logic is both violent and non-violent. That’s goodwill.
Unlike groups created by some Western countries, BRICS was founded without an emphasis on ideological conflict, and its growing popularity has led to globalization seeking inclusiveness, common development, and win-win cooperation rather than ideological conflict.・Mr. Wang Youming said that this reflects the call of the South.
Under BRICS’ non-confrontational, inclusive and open approach, there will be no pressure on countries in the Global South to take sides, Wang said. For example, with respect to the New Development Bank, formerly known as the BRICS Development Bank, the BRICS countries have equal shares and voting rights, regardless of their differences in economic weight.
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Looking back at the end of the year, BRICS achieved several major breakthroughs and achievements in 2024. Against the backdrop of ongoing geopolitical conflicts, the rise and growth of BRICS, which has the potential to change the global landscape, is often underestimated and overlooked, Wang Youming said. .
In January, BRICS, which was founded by China, Russia, India and Brazil, and added South Africa in 2011, welcomed new members in its historic expansion.
Meanwhile, at least 34 countries have expressed interest in joining in 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the BRICS senior meeting in early September. Countries on the waiting list include Malaysia, Thailand, Nigeria, Bolivia and even NATO member Turkey.
According to data, BRICS has continued to grow and develop in the 18 years since its establishment, accounting for almost half of the world’s population, accounting for more than 30 percent of the world economy, and contributing more than 50 percent to global economic growth.
Brazil will assume the BRICS chairmanship on January 1, 2025. The motto of the next summit in Brazil will be “Strengthening cooperation in the Global South for more inclusive and sustainable governance.”
Wang Youming expects BRICS cooperation to gain greater momentum and become even more of a highlight in 2025. For example, issues such as building a diversified system of international finance, global efforts to reduce poverty and eliminate polarization between the global North and South, and climate change may be on the agenda of the BRICS mechanism. is high.
Wang Youming said that the BRICS mechanism will be better structured and the content will be more enriched.
Regarding China’s role in BRICS, both experts mentioned China’s active leading role.
China is the largest economy among the BRICS countries and has huge market potential. Furthermore, in digitalization, artificial intelligence, green transition and other high-tech fields, China has technological capabilities comparable to the United States, which is of great interest to BRICS member countries, Wang Yiwei said.
China has always advocated a fair and orderly multipolar world and inclusive economic globalization, and has put this into practice in BRICS cooperation, he added.
According to Wang Youming, China’s leadership role is also reflected in the fact that China actively coordinated all parties to reach an agreement and implement the BRICS Leaders’ Declaration.
For example, China recently launched the China-BRICS Artificial Intelligence Development Cooperation Center, and plans to establish the BRICS Deep Sea Resources International Research Center, the BRICS Special Economic Zone Development Cooperation Center, and the BRICS China Center. Industrial Competency and BRICS Digital Ecosystem Cooperation Network. China welcomes the active participation of all parties.
China has been representing the interests of the Global South under the BRICS platform, which is completely different from the confrontational and hegemonic mindset of some developed countries, Wang Youming said.
