South African President Cyril Ramaphosa hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping in Johannesburg on Tuesday as leaders of the BRICS nations gathered to discuss expanding the bloc.
The summit comes amid heightened global tensions provoked by the Ukraine war and a growing rivalry between China and the United States. These developments have added urgency to a drive to strengthen BRICS, which has at times suffered from internal divisions and a lack of coherent vision.
Ramaphosa said in an address ahead of the meetings that an expanded BRICS would represent “a diverse group of nations with different political systems that share a common desire to have a more balanced global order.”
However, expansion has become a point of contention, with India wary of Chinese dominance and Brazil concerned that it will dilute its influence.
Over 40 countries have expressed interest in joining BRICS, say South African officials. Of them, nearly two dozen have formally asked to be admitted, with some expected to send delegations to Johannesburg.
The summit is also expected to discuss ways to boost the use of member states’ local currencies and to coordinate responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.
China State Visit #ChinaInSA https://t.co/f4x4mqbPW9
— Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 (@PresidencyZA) August 22, 2023
