Building BRICS — a Limited Win for China and Warning for the U.S.
Washington needs to do more to keep the swing states of the Global South onside.
Brazilian President Lula da Silva, Chinese leader Xi Jinping, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Indian President Narenda Modi, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at the BRICS summit in Johannesburg, August 22, 2023. Credit: Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs via X, formerly known as Twitter
The recent decision by the BRICS countries — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — to expand the group’s membership made splashy headlines. But now it is time to assess what this move means for geopolitics and U.S. foreign policy.
In a nutshell, BRICS expansion is a win for China and will increase Beijing’s geopolitical clout. China is the most influential player in the institution, which will have more diplomatic heft post-expansion. But it is a win with limits — the BRIC
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If Xi Jinping is becoming more preoccupied with internal politics, it could lead to a period of relative calm in China’s relations with the United States.
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