Each country has its own story

The 15th BRICS Summit opened at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa on August 22, with the participation of leaders of member countries, including Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping and host South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the conference in person but will deliver a speech online and authorize his top diplomat to represent him.

Mr Ramaphosa has also extended invitations to more than 60 heads of state and government from African and developing countries from other parts of the world. The Summit will take place over three days, from 22-24 August.

On the final day of the conference, a meeting in the format of “Friends of BRICS” will be held.

World - BRICS Summit: Each country has a — The BRICS nations – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – account for a quarter of the global economy. Photo: Jerusalem Post

The five BRICS countries – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – will each push their own agenda at the Summit to achieve their foreign policy goals and expand their influence within the group and globally.

According to experts at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the BRICS countries have specific goals for the group's annual Summit.

South Africa plans to consolidate its leading role on the African continent; Russia hopes to garner support for its campaign in Ukraine, while China intends to push for further expansion of the group to assert its influence over countries in the Middle East and South Asia.

India, on the other hand, aims to counterbalance China’s influence in the group by maintaining its leadership role in the Global South. And Brazil, under President Lula da Silva, will seek to end the country’s global isolation and restore its status as a world power.

Asserting leadership position in the "dark continent"

South Africa is hosting the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, under the theme “BRICS and Africa: Partnership for Accelerated Growth, Sustainable Development and Inclusive Multilateralism”.

Part of the significance of being the host country is to assert “Africa’s leadership position on the international stage” and demonstrate that it is one of the “most productive economies on the continent,” said Mvemba Phezo Dizolele, director of the CSIS Africa Program, in a panel discussion with BRICS experts last week.

South Africa would also be “very enthusiastic” about continuing discussions on a common currency for cross-border trade between BRICS countries, Mr Dizolele said.

The BRICS summit comes as the African nation faces tensions with the United States over allegations it is supplying weapons to Moscow, Dizolele said. The allegations arose after a Russian ship was seen in South African waters allegedly carrying weapons and at another event a Russian plane was spotted landing in South Africa, allegedly collecting weapons.

Meanwhile, the African nation's stance on the conflict in Ukraine – not condemning Russia – will remain a key part of the discussions, as UN representatives are expected to attend the summit.

Opportunity to demonstrate power and influence

China sees BRICS as a way to expand its influence globally, as the bloc's annual summit offers a unique opportunity to strengthen cooperation and boost trade ties among emerging economies.

“We have seen increasing signals and statements from Beijing that they certainly want to see BRICS expand,” said Brian Hart, a fellow at CSIS’s China Power Project. “From China’s perspective, expanding BRICS to include other developing countries would give them more opportunities to project their power and influence in important regions.”

Beijing will also try to persuade BRICS members to stand up to Washington, especially on the issue of unilateral sanctions, a key focus for both China and Russia in the fight against US influence, Hart said.

Beijing sees BRICS as “an opportunity to gain some global leverage in pushing back against the US,” Mr Hart said.

A key part of Beijing's agenda will also be to strengthen China-South Africa relations and expand the Asian giant's presence on the “dark continent”.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to pay a state visit and meet South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit.

Maintain a cautious stance

Much of India's agenda for the BRICS Summit will contrast with China's as both economic powers seek to establish influence in the global South.

“India is unlikely to support any major proposals that would be truly offensive to the US or its allies,” said Katherine Hadda, an India expert at CSIS.

India is therefore also expected to take a “lukewarm” stance towards the idea of a common BRICS currency, Ms Hadda said.

As for the addition of new members, experts expect India to support the summit statements regarding BRICS expansion. However, Delhi will maintain a cautious stance to ensure that BRICS does not come under too much Chinese influence, Hadda said.

She said India was in a good position to negotiate any deal at BRICS due to its growing economy and close ties with the West.

“India has some negotiating leverage at the Summit. It has partnerships that BRICS members, especially China and Russia, currently do not have, such as with the US and other regional partners.”

Promote more achievable goals

Instead of pursuing challenging economic goals, such as a common currency, Russia will push for political goals that are “much easier to achieve” and that can be simplified through the BRICS alliance, according to Maria Snegovaya, a Russia and Eurasia expert at CSIS.

“Russia will try to use it (the BRICS Summit) in its propaganda efforts, trying to promote Russian interests in Ukraine, especially in the context of the recent Ukrainian-led international peace conference in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, which focused specifically on reaching out to the Global South and finding a peaceful end to the Russia-Ukraine conflict,” Snegovaya said at a BRICS panel discussion.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, representing Russian President Putin at the BRICS summit, is expected to garner support for Russia's stance on the conflict in Ukraine, especially from African countries, many of which have shown support for Moscow.

Russia is expected to support the expansion of the bloc to counter the growing global influence of the United States. A key topic on Russia’s agenda will also be boosting trade relations with South Africa, by increasing investment in the African country, according to Ms. Snegovaya.

“There is still quite positive economic cooperation that is gradually emerging between Russia and a number of South African companies and organisations,” she said.

Desire to defeat the dominance of the USD

For Brazil, this BRICS Summit is an opportunity to regain its “halo” as a serious world leader and promote an autonomous foreign policy, independent of US influence.

Brazil is expected to make a big push for a new BRICS currency and the bloc's expansion, according to Ryan Berg, an expert on the Americas at CSIS.

“Brazilian President Lula da Silva has been on a diplomatic tour of the world, and at every stop in the Southern Hemisphere he seems to have mentioned his desire to defeat the dominance of the US dollar and move to transacting in other currencies,” said Mr. Berg.

However, when it comes to BRICS expansion, Lula is not keen. According to him, the Brazilian Foreign Ministry opposes this because they fear losing membership benefits due to expansion.

In an effort to become a serious player in the world again, Brazil also hopes to play a mediator role in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, even though it has little influence in that part of the world.

Brazil could position itself as an agricultural power at the summit after Russia pulled out of a UN-brokered Black Sea grains deal, Berg said.

Overall, the South American country's stance on the Summit is consistent with the foreign policy posture Brazil presents to the world, heralding the beginning of a new multipolar era, the Americas expert said .

Minh Duc (According to Al Arabiya, TASS)

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