China’s Foreign Affairs Ministry confirmed that the country fully supports the expansion of the BRICS alliance. The statement comes on the heels of the upcoming summit where the bloc of five nations will jointly decide on the expansion efforts. China has made it clear that it wants BRICS+ while India and Brazil are still considering whether to expand the group or not. India and Brazil remain on the fence and are yet to make a formal announcement about expansion prospects.
Also Read: What Will Be Discussed in the Next BRICS Summit?
The Foreign Ministry of China said that it welcomes like-minded countries to join the BRICS bloc. However, the Communist nation did not specify who the like-minded countries are. A total of 45 countries have expressed their interest to be a part of the BRICS group. Among those, 23 countries have formally submitted their applications while the other 22 have informally requested to join.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said to Reuters that it “Supports progress in expanding membership and welcomes more like-minded partners to join the BRICS family at an early date.” The statement hints that China could aggressively push expansion efforts in the upcoming summit in South Africa.
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BRICS: China & Russia Support Expansion of Like-Minded Countries
China and Russia are convincing other countries to join BRICS and end reliance on the U.S. dollar. While China is looking for world domination, Russia is seeking vengeance against the U.S. for pressing sanctions on its economy. The White House sanctioned Russia in February 2022 for invading and waging war against its neighboring country Ukraine.
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On the other hand, India and Brazil have good ties with the Western world and have billions worth of trade agreements. India and Brazil are most likely to reject expansion as they feel China and Russia are using BRICS for self-interest.
Read here to know why India and Brazil fear China’s aggressive stance against the West could hurt their economies. The next summit will be held in Johannesburg on August 22 to 24.
