China has big ambitions for the 14e BRICS summit that Xi Jinping will chair, by videoconference, Thursday, June 23: open this gathering of five major emerging countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) to other nations of the South, to “inject more positive energy into a world facing turbulence and challenges”according to Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
This is’“to encourage the international community to take an interest in the cause of global development with practical actions”, Explain The People’s Daily, the official organ of the Chinese Communist Party. The newspaper recalls that, as early as 2017, China had created the BRICS Plus format, associating five other countries at the top and that it is now a question of going further.
the GlobalTimes is more explicit. Beijing hears “counteract the tendency of Western countries to form small cliques with the G7”. China intends “bringing fresh air to the world that includes an equitable global governance system instead of one dominated by American hegemony”, summarizes the nationalist daily. Around the summit itself, several events will also be held, which Xi Jinping should also chair, in particular the BRICS Business Forum on June 22 and a “High-level Dialogue on Global Development” on June 24. This summit is held just before that of the G7 (June 26-28), chaired by Germany.
Initiative limits
Which countries could be associated with the BRICS? On May 19, the meeting of foreign ministers – virtual – preparatory to the summit was followed by a dialogue with representatives of Argentina, Egypt, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, the Emirates Arab States, Saudi Arabia, Senegal and Thailand.
If Beijing’s desire to federate countries of the South to weigh more against the West is explicit, China is aware of the limits of its initiative. “The effectiveness of the grouping must not be reduced by excessive participation and this grouping must also protect itself against possible friction caused by different demands or by conflicting interests”notes the economist Chen Fengying in the China Daily.
Not only are India and China failing to resolve their border dispute in Ladakh, but differences are also evident on the Ukrainian question. Of the 14 countries that took part in the May 19 dialogue, seven voted for the UN resolution supporting Ukraine, six abstained and, of course, Russia voted against. Germany has also invited the leaders of South Africa, Argentina, India, Indonesia and Senegal to the G7. It will be difficult for these countries to be associated with some sort of front “anti-G7”.
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