China seeks to position BRICS as a formidable rival to the G7

The Financial Times reported that China will invite its BRICS counterparts to the upcoming Johannesburg summit to turn the organization into a full-fledged geopolitical rival to the G7.

“If we expand the BRICS countries to be responsible for a share of global GDP like the G7, our common voice in the world will become stronger,” a Chinese politician, who asked not to be named, told the newspaper. The G7 includes the UK, Germany, Italy, Canada, France, Japan and the US.

The Financial Times reports that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa invited leaders and heads of government from more than 60 countries to the summit scheduled for August 22-24, with 23 countries expressing interest in joining the BRICS group, according to South African officials. .

However, sources familiar with the position of China and India told the newspaper that tensions were mounting between Beijing and New Delhi over what expansion should look like. The main disagreement is whether BRICS should be a neutral club protecting the economic interests of developing countries, or a political force that should openly oppose the West.

The newspaper quoted an unnamed Brazilian diplomat as calling for clearer rules for admitting new members. He said: “It is important to define the criteria for the entry of new members.”

The BRICS summit will be held from 22 to 24 August in Johannesburg under the chairmanship of South Africa.

The BRICS Group is an international organization that includes Russia, Brazil, India, China and South Africa, whose economies account for 23 percent of the world economy and 18 percent of international trade.

Source: TASS