Welcome new members after 12 years! Why are the BRICS expansion members from these six countries?

After 12 years, the BRICS family welcomes new members.

On August 24th local time, the 15th special press conference of BRICS leaders announced that Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Iran, and Ethiopia were officially invited to become members of the BRICS family, and their membership will take effect on January 1st, 2024.

Among the six newly added countries, the addition of Iran and Saudi Arabia has received particular attention. One is under extreme pressure from the United States, while the other is gradually distancing itself from the United States. Especially since these two countries achieved a "century long reconciliation" in Beijing five months ago and now join hands with the BRICS, what kind of reaction will it provoke from the United States?

And as the expanded BRICS cooperation mechanism further enhances its influence in international and regional affairs, what changes will it bring to the international landscape? Wang Lei, Director of the BRICS Cooperation Research Center at Beijing Normal University, gave an exclusive interview to the Governor of Chang'an Street to deeply understand the important significance behind the milestone event of expanding the BRICS workforce.

On August 21st, in Johannesburg, South Africa, a man took a photo at the media center inside the Thornton Convention and Exhibition Center, where the 15th BRICS Leaders Meeting was held. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Yahui

Saudi Arabia and Iran, which have long been regarded as "world enemies," agreed to resume diplomatic relations and reopen embassies in March this year with China's mediation after severing diplomatic ties for seven years. Only five months later, the two countries went from "breaking the ice" to dialogue and cooperation, joining the BRICS family together.

Wang Lei believes that the recent addition of Saudi Arabia to the BRICS indicates that the two countries have reached a certain level of peace in their relationship. The most direct reason for this is that China's diplomacy as a major country, especially China's global security initiative, has provided a conceptual support for achieving century long reconciliation between the two countries. This is both China's wisdom and Asian wisdom.

"As these two countries with global attention join the BRICS, we truly need to be more vigilant against the so-called 'BRICS threat theory' hyped up by the United States and the West," said Wang Lei.

The development of the BRICS cooperation mechanism in recent years has attracted high attention from Western countries such as the United States, and even prevention and suppression. Wang Lei pointed out that as two regional powers, Saudi Arabia and Iran, join the BRICS, the hype of "confrontation between BRICS countries and the United States and the West" will become rampant, and it is worth being vigilant.

"In fact, after the opening of cooperation among the BRICS countries in 2006, for a considerable period of time, the United States and the West did not care much. They believed that the BRICS did not have internal cohesion and would soon become a 'scattered sand'. However, as the current achievements of BRICS cooperation continue to increase, they have paid close attention to the BRICS and even prevented suppression."

Wang Lei introduced that in recent years, on the eve of the annual BRICS summit, American and Western officials or Western media have always hyped up some arguments, which can be roughly summarized into three types——

One is "singing the decline of the golden brick theory". This is a "sour grape" mentality. They feel psychologically imbalanced when they see how well the BRICS cooperation mechanism has developed, and they also want to use this kind of negative criticism to "cool down" the BRICS cooperation.

The second is the "BRICS threat theory". This argument mainly began with the gradual strengthening of political and security cooperation among the BRICS countries. The United States and the West are also increasingly realizing that the BRICS cooperation mechanism will have a real impact on their own hegemony, so the "BRICS threat theory" still has a considerable market.

The third is the theory of division among developing countries. In recent years, the United States and the West have manipulated the concept of the "global south", attempting to separate some BRICS countries, including China, from developing countries and engage in polarization. But this expansion of BRICS membership once again proves that developing countries and countries from the "global South" are highly united, and leaders during the BRICS summit have reached a consensus that BRICS countries are natural members of the "global South".

The headquarters building of the BRICS New Development Bank is located in the World Expo Park in Pudong New Area, Shanghai. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Fang Zhe

The Governor of Chang'an Street noticed that no matter how the United States and the West instigate and smear BRICS cooperation, it cannot stop the enthusiasm of developing countries to participate in BRICS cooperation.

In fact, prior to the official announcement of the BRICS expansion, more than 40 countries had already expressed their desire to join the BRICS cooperation mechanism, of which 23 countries had officially applied to join, demonstrating the attractiveness and appeal of the BRICS countries.

Why were Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates invited to join the group among so many applicants? What are their characteristics?

Wang Lei's analysis suggests that firstly, these six countries are the most representative emerging markets and developing countries in the world today.

Secondly, they have certain advantages in terms of economic strength, regional and international influence, population size, and territorial area, and their comprehensive strength is strong.

Thirdly, after these six countries join, they can more effectively enhance the global and regional representation of the BRICS countries. Previously, the five member countries of the BRICS were mainly in Asia, Eurasia, Southern Africa, and Southern America. With the addition of six new members, the representation of the BRICS countries in the Middle East, North Africa, the African continent, and the southernmost regions such as the Americas has been further enhanced and supplemented, which are also densely populated and widely distributed areas of emerging markets and developing countries.

Fourthly, in recent years, the six newly added countries have adhered to multilateralism, defended the central position of the United Nations globally, and recognized the principles of "adhering to true multilateralism and adopting the principles of equality and consensus in decision-making" of the BRICS countries.

In fact, these six countries have a deep connection with the BRICS. In 2013, when South Africa first assumed the rotating presidency of the BRICS countries, it held a dialogue meeting between the leaders of the BRICS and African countries. At that time, Egypt and Ethiopia, who had recently joined the group, were invited. Therefore, they had an inseparable bond with the BRICS 10 years ago.

On August 20th, in Johannesburg, South Africa, pedestrians walked past the Thornton Convention and Exhibition Center, the venue of the 15th BRICS Leaders Meeting. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Yudong

What changes will the expansion of BRICS membership bring to the international landscape?

Wang Lei pointed out that the BRICS cooperation mechanism with 11 member countries will become one of the most important multilateral cooperation mechanisms on the global stage. The voice of the BRICS will attract wider attention from the international community, allowing the international community to further feel the effectiveness of cooperation from emerging markets and developing countries.

"The BRICS itself is a force that supports stability, peace, and goodness. After expanding its membership, the BRICS countries can more effectively strengthen political and security dialogue. Overall, the current focus of the international landscape is still on developed countries in the United States and the West. With the expansion of the BRICS membership, the international landscape will become more balanced and sustainable." said Wang Lei.

Secondly, the expansion of the BRICS has further enhanced the international community's recognition and adherence to multilateralism, especially the power of some partners who hope to promote fairness and justice, which is conducive to promoting greater security and stability in the international community.

Thirdly, the expansion of the BRICS has further strengthened the voice of the "global southern" countries. These countries will actively participate in the cooperation and exchanges between the BRICS and "BRICS+", unite together through the platform of the BRICS, and promote the development of the international pattern towards stability and prosperity.

Fourthly, the BRICS itself focuses on development issues, and expanding its membership can also benefit the international community in promoting common prosperity and development. It can more effectively make the distribution of wealth in the international community equal and balanced among different regions and countries, and solve the problems of turbulence and conflict at the root.

"The expansion of the BRICS has a milestone significance in the history of international relations, especially after the Cold War. I believe that the current BRICS Leaders' Johannesburg Meeting and the expansion of the BRICS are even somewhat similar to the 1955 Bandung Conference, because it means once again great unity among developing countries worldwide." said Wang Lei.

When it comes to the future development of the BRICS cooperation mechanism after expansion, Wang Lei believes that this is a new starting point that will inject new vitality into the BRICS cooperation mechanism, with a brighter development prospect and greater cooperation space. At the same time, the BRICS cooperation mechanism will also face challenges, including external suppression and further improvement of the BRICS's own mechanism construction.

Wang Lei pointed out that the BRICS countries have a common mission, which is to promote their own modernization construction. "China has a Chinese path to modernization, and other countries are also promoting the modernization development path in line with their own national conditions. In the future cooperation process, countries will share development experience, help each other, and forge ahead on the modernization path with their own characteristics."