BRICS Expansion: China’s Big Win in Shaping a New World Order
When leaders from BRICS countries posed together for a picture at the end of their summit in Johannesburg, it gave us a sneak peek into how China, under the leadership of Xi Jinping, is trying to change the way the world works.
Xi Jinping, who leads China with strength, stood in the middle of the picture. Around him were leaders from different parts of the world like Africa, Asia, and Latin America. This was the biggest gathering of BRICS countries ever. More than 60 countries joined the event, including the core members Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
Joining the current BRICS leaders were leaders from other countries like Argentina, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates. These countries had just received an invitation to become part of the BRICS club.
This is a major achievement for Xi Jinping. He had wanted to add more countries to the BRICS group for a long time, even when some of the current members, like India and Brazil, were not so sure about it.
This expansion, the first since South Africa became a member in 2010, is going to make the group much bigger. This means that the BRICS group will have more than twice as many countries as before. It will also have a much stronger presence in the world, especially in the Middle East.
A Big Success of Expansion
China’s strong effort to make the BRICS group bigger, by including countries like Argentina, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates, shows that China wants to have more influence on the world stage. Even though some of the current members of BRICS, like India and Brazil, were not so sure about it, China’s determination to make this happen shows its strong ability to achieve its goals.
This new expansion, the first since South Africa joined in 2010, is going to make the group much bigger and stronger. Bringing in countries from the Middle East, like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, will also give the group more power in a region that is very important for global trade and energy.
Can BRICS Balance the West?
While China is actively working to make the BRICS group bigger, the question is whether this group can really become a strong counterbalance to the power of Western countries. The BRICS countries together are big in terms of economy and population, but can they work together well enough to challenge the dominance of the West?
Economy and Reality
On the economic side, the BRICS group has a lot of strength. These countries, when combined, make up a big part of the world’s money, trade, and people. China is the biggest economy among them, and it has already started to create new ways for the BRICS countries to do business together, like the New Development Bank.
However, being strong economically is not the same as having power in global politics. The Western countries, like the United States and its friends, have been together for a long time. They have common history, shared values, and they worry about the same security issues. For example, they have NATO, a group of countries that help each other in times of trouble. The BRICS countries don’t have this kind of deep connection, which might make it harder for them to work together on big world problems.
Different Plans and Hard Challenges
Adding new countries from different parts of the world to the BRICS group brings new challenges. Each country, like Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Argentina, has its own ideas and plans. They might not always agree with China’s vision. Even though China wants to build new things like roads and bridges through its Belt and Road Initiative, not everyone might see it as a good thing.
Also, dealing with the Middle East is tough. There are long-standing problems and fights in that region. Countries have different friends and enemies. For the BRICS group to be strong against the West, China will need to be really good at helping these countries find common ground.
United in Diversity: Not So Easy
Western countries, often led by the United States, have stayed together because they have similar beliefs, worry about the same things, and have been friends for a long time. NATO is a good example of this. The BRICS group, on the other hand, is made up of countries with different histories, cultures, and goals. This makes it harder for them to stand together against the West.
China’s Smart Moves
China’s clever move to expand the BRICS group is a big deal. Xi Jinping’s idea of having a world where no one country is too powerful is starting to happen because of the way China is making smart diplomatic choices. But, for this idea to work well, China needs to help these different countries work together, give them good reasons to stick together, and find ways to deal with problems between them.
The world is changing quickly. Technology is making things different, and countries are changing the way they work with each other. For the BRICS group to be a strong opponent to the Western countries, China needs to be good at changing and finding new ways to make everyone agree.
The Future: Together, Different, and China’s Plan
As leaders met in Johannesburg for the big BRICS summit, it was a powerful sight to see leaders from different parts of the world coming together. In the middle of it all was Xi Jinping, showing China’s success in making the group bigger and more important. However, the path ahead is full of hard things to do. It means countries with different ideas need to find ways to agree, history needs to be put aside, and everyone needs to work together even when they want different things.
China’s idea of having a different kind of world, where no one country has too much power, is already happening. By making the BRICS group bigger, China is making this idea stronger. But making it work means China must figure out how to deal with the many tricky parts of global politics and help different countries become one strong force with a common goal.
