18.10.2024, 12:12
Zitat:Thriving BRICS answer to bloc politics: China Daily editorialhttps://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202410/1...c82d2.html
chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2024-10-17 20:24
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With the 16th BRICS summit, which is scheduled to be held in Kazan, Russia, from Oct 22 to 24, drawing near, a number of countries have expressed their desire to join the grouping, demonstrating the mechanism's growing appeal.
The upcoming summit in Kazan, themed "Strengthening Multilateralism for Just Global Development and Security", will be the first summit after BRICS' expansion from five to 10 members last year, when Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Iran and Ethiopia were admitted at the Johannesburg summit as new BRICS members, effective on Jan 1, although Saudi Arabia is yet to complete the formalities to become a full member.
On Monday, Sri Lankan Foreign Affairs Minister Vijitha Herath said his country is to place on record its request for membership of BRICS at the upcoming Kazan summit, citing the grouping as an effective partnership for mutually beneficial cooperation, peace and development, and inclusive multilateralism.
It joins Cuba, Syria, Malaysia, Thailand, Belarus and Pakistan in seeking membership of the grouping, as they have all applied to join it. Russia has already confirmed that along with the 10 members more than two dozen other countries that have applied for or are considering membership will participate in this year's summit. The high number of new applications suggests another expansion of the grouping may be underway.
There are some countries that are less than happy that BRICS should prove so appealing. Japan is one such country that has reportedly expressed concerns over Malaysia and Thailand applying to join BRICS. A South China Morning Post article, citing Japanese experts, said Japan is worried that the Southeast Asian nations may be moving away from their balanced diplomacy and leaning toward a grouping largely influenced by China and Russia. Given Japan's role as an Asian mainstay in the Western bloc, which has been fomenting bloc confrontation and seeking exclusive interests worldwide, it is not surprising that many in Japan harbor such a view. To them, BRICS presents a challenge to the Western-dominated international order.
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