BRICS Expanded to 10 Full Member Countries
The emerging alliance BRICS, consisting of China and Russia, which aims to challenge the dominance of the US dollar, has gained a strong ally. With Indonesia, the largest economy in ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and the fourth most populous country in the world, joining, attention is focused on whether BRICS' 'anti-Trump front' will be strengthened.
On the 6th (local time), the government of Luiz In?cio Lula da Silva of Brazil, the BRICS chair country this year, announced in a Foreign Ministry statement, "Indonesia officially joins BRICS as a full member today," adding, "We expect Indonesia to make a positive contribution to strengthening cooperation within the 'Global South'." The Global South generally refers to emerging and developing countries located mainly in the Southern Hemisphere.
On November 18 last year (local time), Brazilian President Luis In?cio Lula da Silva and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, attending the G20 summit held in Rio de Janeiro, shook hands. On the 6th, the Brazilian government, the chair country of BRICS this year, officially announced Indonesia's accession to BRICS. (AFP·Yonhap News)
Previously, Indonesia received support for its membership from existing members at the BRICS summit held in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2023 during the administration of Joko Widodo. However, Indonesia officially expressed its intention to join under the Prabowo Subianto government, which took office in October last year. President Prabowo, who chose China as his first overseas visit after inauguration, sent a delegation to the BRICS summit held in Kazan, Russia, to formalize Indonesia's full membership.
With Indonesia's accession, the number of full BRICS members has increased to ten: Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Indonesia. Starting with the original five countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) and having kept its doors closed for a while, BRICS has doubled in size since 2023 by actively expanding its membership.
According to the Associated Press, "BRICS was created as a counterforce to the G7, which consists of advanced countries," and currently, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Malaysia have expressed their intention to join as full BRICS members. According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), even with only the initial five members, BRICS accounts for 42% of the world's population, 26% of the territory, 23% of the gross domestic product (GDP), and 18% of trade volume.
Some speculate that China and Russia may use BRICS as a focal point to respond to the global trade war expected under the second Trump administration's America First policy. One of the interests of BRICS countries is exploring alternatives such as payment systems to reduce dependence on the dollar in trade with the United States.
In response to BRICS' challenge to the dollar's dominance, President-elect Trump has issued a warning. After winning the presidential election last November, Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social, "The era of the US just watching while BRICS countries try to move away from the dollar is over," warning, "If BRICS challenges the dollar's dominance with a new currency or an existing one, we will impose a 100% tariff." He added, "If that happens, BRICS will say goodbye to the US as an export market," emphasizing, "There is no chance that BRICS will find an alternative to the dollar in international trade."
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