BRICS Summit in Johannesburg focuses on expansion and global influence
The BRICS summit opened in Johannesburg on Tuesday, with the expansion of the bloc and its global political and economic influence top of the agenda.
The leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa attended the summit in person, while Russia was represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a speech online.
The expansion of BRICS is one of the main themes of the summit, with 23 countries expressing interest in joining, including Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Iran, Argentina, and Ethiopia.
The summit comes at a time of growing divisions on the international stage, with South Africa, China, and India refusing to directly condemn the war in Ukraine. Brazil has condemned the war, but has refused to help Ukraine with arms or impose sanctions on Russia.
The tensions in the wake of the war in Ukraine and Beijing's growing rivalry with the United States have pushed China and Russia to try to strengthen BRICS. The two powers are trying to use the Johannesburg summit to strengthen the group and become a counterweight to Western dominance in global institutions.
The BRICS countries account for around 40 percent of the world's population and a quarter of global GDP. They are also major players in the global economy, with China being the world's second-largest economy and India being the world's third-largest economy.
The summit is expected to produce a number of initiatives aimed at strengthening BRICS cooperation, including in the areas of trade, investment, and finance. The summit is also expected to discuss ways to address global challenges such as climate change and poverty.
