BRICS, bats and bromides
'Tis that time of the year when the BRICS economic Summit comes round to state the obvious: “We are the rest of the world,” and powerful members of the global developing economies too. So when the 17th BRICS Summit launched in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro, assembling leaders from major emerging economies Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, the obvious question emerged, where were its traditional star members, China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin?
China's 72-year-old president, Xi Jinping, has used BRICS to reshape narratives about the "global south." Yet, China’s Xi is said to be facing health problems. Beijing’s leader has been conspicuously absent from major events and has cut back his diplomatic schedule, though still meeting with third-tier comrades such as Belarus’s dictator Lukashenko. Xi’s last high profile event was in Moscow during Russia’s Victory Day military parade on May 9.
Chairman Xi is facing serious domestic economic problems on mainland China with massive debt, a housing crisis and rising youth unemployment. Many of the economic doldrums stem from the political and economic standoff with the U.S. Administration. Equally urgent is growing discontent in the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP), not to mention rumblings in the powerful military.
Thus in Rio, Beijing was represented by Prime Minister Li Qiang.
Putin who boisterously hosted last year’s BRIC Summit in Kazan Russia, wanted to fly down to Rio but the Russian President faces an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant, related to Russia’s war against Ukraine. Given that Brazil is a signatory to the ICC statute, it’s too dangerous to risk.
Launched in 2009, the BRICS acronym was formed as a non-Western counterweight to the Group of Seven (G-7) dominance; in recent years it has expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the UAE and, most recently, Indonesia, strengthening its economic clout. The BRICS view themselves as a political and economic alternative to the powerful G-7 which includes the United States, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan.
Brazil’s President Lula Ignacio da Silva, the host, told assembled delegations, “BRICS is the heir to the Non-Aligned Movement,” adding a touch of Cold War legacy to the proceedings. Lula opined, “We are witnessing the unparalleled collapse of multilateralism.”
The BRICS states represent more than half the world's population and 40% of its economic output, Lula noted to business leaders warning of rising protectionism. The group views itself as Beacon of the “Global South.”
But while many leaders are expected to repeat political bromides towards the Trump Tariffs, countries such as Brazil must tread carefully when just as much of their commerce is with the United States as it is with China. During 2024, two-way U.S./Brazil trade stood at $92 billion with $50 billion in U.S. exports and $42 billion in imports, giving the U.S. a $7.4 billion surplus.
Sino/Brazilian trade is significant. In 2024, Brazil sold $94 billion worth of goods to China, mostly agricultural products such as soybeans and natural resources. China sold $72 billion in products to Brazil; half of Brazil’s imports now originate in China.
Importantly, Brazil has offered China access to its Alcantara Space Center in northern coastal Brazil, with a location close to the equator, which can facilitate less expensive rocket and satellite launches. The Brazilian space port, dating from the 1960s, is situated south of the European Space Agency (ESA) launch facility in Kourou, French Guiana.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi brought a powerful balance at the BRICS as much as a significant voice. Speaking at a session on peace and security, Modi said the “cowardly” Pahalgam terror attack in Kashmir (in May) was a direct strike on the “soul, identity and dignity” of India. He warned, “Terrorism has become the most serious challenge for humanity today.”
U.N. Secretary Antonio Guterres, speaking in Rio, stated, “A multipolar world requires multilateral governance, with global institutions tuned for the times, in particular the Security Council ... They were designed for a bygone age, a bygone world, with a bygone system of power relations.” He stressed, “The reform of the Security Council is crucial.”
Narendra Modi also reiterated the traditional call for India and Brazil to have permanent seats on the UN Security Council.
Among other issues, the BRICS condemned attacks on Iran and Gaza, and rising American tariffs. Replacing the U.S. Dollar in some global trade is also on the BRICS longtime wishlist.
President Donald Trump warned that BRICS members initiating such specific anti-U.S. measures would face an additional American tariff of 10 percent.
First lesson in international trade: get along, play nice.
John J. Metzler is a United Nations correspondent covering diplomatic and defense issues. He is the author of "Divided Dynamics: The Diplomacy of Separated Nations; Germany, Korea, China."