XV BRICS Summit starts

The BRICS group of developing economies – Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa – meet in Johannesburg starting today (to Thursday) for their annual summit, during which expansion of the bloc is expected to figure high on the agenda.

BRICS accounts for some 40% of the world’s population, and an estimated one-quarter of global gross domestic product. In terms of purchasing power parity, BRICS countries now have a larger share of global economic activity than G-7 countries.

This is an important meeting for world trade.

A BRICS expansion is one of the topics on the agenda. Some 40 nations, including Argentina, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are all interested in joining, and discussions about new members will likely feature high on the agenda of the summit, with BRICS members differing on the benefits of expansion.

Presidents Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa and Xi Jinping of China, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil have all confirmed their attendance. Russia will be sending Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.