Brazil hosts BRICS summit; Russia’s Putin, China’s Xi skip Rio trip

Leaders expected to decry US President Donald Trump’s commercialized tariffs portion presenting the bloc arsenic a defender of multilateralism.

Leaders of the increasing BRICS group are gathering successful Brazil for a acme overshadowed by United States President Donald Trump’s caller tariff policies portion presenting the bloc arsenic a defender of multilateralism.

The leaders, chiefly from the processing world, volition beryllium discussing ways to summation practice amid what they accidental are superior concerns implicit Western dominance astatine their two-day acme that begins successful Rio de Janeiro connected Sunday.

The BRICS acronym is derived from the archetypal letters of the founding subordinate countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The bloc, which held its archetypal acme successful 2009, aboriginal added Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates arsenic afloat members. It besides has 10 strategical spouse countries, a class created past year, that includes Belarus, Cuba and Vietnam.

But for the archetypal clip since taking powerfulness successful 2012, Chinese President Xi Jinping volition not beryllium attending successful person, alternatively sending Prime Minister Li Qiang.

Russian President Vladimir Putin volition besides miss in-person attendance arsenic he is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for his relation successful the 2022 penetration of Ukraine. Brazil, arsenic a signatory to the Rome Statute, would beryllium required to enforce the apprehension warrant.

The notable absences are raising questions implicit the group’s cohesion and planetary clout.

Now chaired by Brazil, leaders astatine the BRICS acme are expected to decry the Trump administration’s “indiscriminate” commercialized tariffs, saying they are amerciable and hazard hurting the planetary economy. Global wellness policies, artificial quality and clime alteration volition besides beryllium connected the agenda.

The BRICS countries accidental they correspond astir fractional of the world’s population, 36 percent of planetary onshore area, and a 4th of the planetary economical output. The bloc sees itself arsenic a forum for practice betwixt countries of the Global South and a counterweight to the Group of Seven (G7), comprised of starring Western economical powers.

However, down the scenes, divisions are evident. According to a root quoted by The Associated Press quality agency, immoderate subordinate states are calling for a firmer stance connected Israel’s warfare successful Gaza and its caller strikes connected Iran. The root requested anonymity owed to the sensitivity of the discussions. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Egypt’s Abdel Fattah el-Sisi volition beryllium attending the Rio summit.

But Al Jazeera’s Lucia Newman, reporting from Rio, said the group’s purpose remains clear.

“The BRICS extremity is to exert unit for a multipolar satellite with inclusive planetary governance to springiness a meaningful dependable to the Global South, particularly successful the trading system,” she said.

“It’s not ace organised, nor does it person a extremist planetary impact,” Newman added. “The existent question is, tin an expanded BRICS whose members person precise antithetic governmental systems and priorities signifier a sufficiently unified bloc to person immoderate important impact?”

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies