As the BRICS nations prepare to hold their annual meeting in South Africa, nineteen countries have expressed interest in joining the bloc, sparking discussions about its expansion. BRICS, an economic bloc comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, was formed on June 16, 2009. Since then, South Africa has been the only country to join the group after its formation in December 2010.
According to Bloomberg, thirteen countries have formally requested to join BRICS, while six others have expressed their interest informally. Some of the countries that have expressed their desire to join include Saudi Arabia, Iran, Argentina, UAE, Algeria, Egypt, Bahrain, and Indonesia. The interest in joining BRICS highlights the group's commitment to strengthening multilateralism, promoting reform, and enhancing global economic growth and stability.
However, the expansion of the bloc has raised concerns among current members that their influence might decrease, particularly if pro-Chinese nations are admitted. Moreover, China's GDP is more than twice the size of all the other BRICS members combined, making it the dominant player in the group.
As China tries to build diplomatic clout to counter the West's dominance in the United Nations, it initiated the conversation about expanding the body last year. Now, the foreign ministers from all five member states of BRICS have confirmed their attendance at the discussions in June. Besides regular affairs and membership, the nations will discuss Sudan.
BRICS represents around one-fifth of the world's economy, contributing 16 percent to world trade and about 24 percent to global GDP. The group has emerged as a powerful new voice alternative to the West, and the interest shown by many countries to join is a testament to that. South Africa, which took over the chair of BRICS from China at the beginning of this year, will host the 15th BRICS Summit from August 22 to 24.
