BEIJING, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Twenty years after its inception, BRICS has grown from an economic grouping into a broader platform for cooperation, with an expanding membership and a widening agenda spanning development, technology and global governance.
Following the recently concluded BRICS Summit in New Delhi, scholars said the grouping is opening up more opportunities for Global South countries to cooperate and increase their voice in global affairs.
FROM EXPANSION TO DEEPER COOPERATION
The BRICS cooperation mechanism was formally launched in 2006, with the first summit held in 2009. The grouping has since expanded its membership and cooperation agenda.
Today, BRICS members account for nearly half of the world's population, around 30 percent of global GDP and one-fifth of global trade.
"BRICS has not only expanded in membership but also deepened the scope of cooperation," said Mikatekiso Kubayi, senior researcher at the University of Johannesburg, pointing to areas such as energy, culture, transport, technology and security.
Marcus Vinicius De Freitas, visiting professor at China Foreign Affairs University and senior fellow at the Policy Center for the New South, a Moroccan think tank, described BRICS as an invaluable mechanism for managing differences and turning common interests into practical cooperation in an increasingly multipolar world.
"China is the driving force behind BRICS, yet its leadership is more consensual, reflecting its win-win perspective in foreign policy and global trade," he said.
A STRONGER COLLECTIVE VOICE
As BRICS has grown, so too has its potential to give developing countries a stronger voice in shaping global governance.
Gan Tian Loo, vice president of the Malaysia-China Public Relations Association, said BRICS countries have built consensus over the past two decades in responding to challenges including financial crises, the pandemic and unilateralism.
He said recent proposals place greater emphasis on contributing to discussions on global governance and promoting the equal application of international rules, an issue of particular relevance to the Global South.
"Acting collectively in discussions on global governance reform could give Global South countries greater bargaining power than pursuing such calls individually," Gan said.
Kubayi said this emphasis on the Global South reflects the original objectives of BRICS, including strengthening the voice of developing countries and promoting access to development instruments for developing and least developed countries.
"His continuous reference to the Global South is important because that's the whole purpose of BRICS in the first place," Kubayi said, referring to Chinese President Xi Jinping's remarks on BRICS cooperation.
At the summit, Xi called on BRICS to be a pioneer in advancing innovation-driven development, a pioneer in upholding peace and stability, a pioneer in facilitating mutual learning between civilizations, and a pioneer in reforming and improving global governance.
Julia Roknifard, senior lecturer at Taylor's University in Malaysia, said such initiatives could help build consensus among Global South countries through practical cooperation.
"Through the day-to-day support of each other in tech, health security, agriculture and other areas between BRICS full members, partner countries and the wider Global South, that is how they can strengthen their collective voice and influence," she said.
TURNING CONSENSUS INTO ACTION
As BRICS enters its third decade, the focus is increasingly shifting toward implementation.
Kubayi highlighted the five initiatives proposed by Xi for greater BRICS cooperation: open source and inclusive AI, trade and investment facilitation, digital industry cooperation, intelligent manufacturing cooperation, and science and technology talent development.
He pointed to AI as a field in which emerging economies want not merely to adopt new technologies but also to help shape how they are developed and governed.
"They should actively participate in shaping international frameworks and standards concerning AI safety, ethics, interoperability and governance," said Luan Camargo, executive director of the Institute for Brazil-China Business Research.
Economic cooperation is another area where such efforts are taking shape.
In Brazil, Maria Elena Rodriguez, deputy director of the BRICS Policy Center and professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, deems China a crucial partner for Brazil's ecological transition, including through investment in areas such as electric vehicles, photovoltaic equipment and green steel.
Camargo said sustainable development and innovation require peace and effective governance, while lasting multilateral partnerships also rely on people-to-people exchanges.
For BRICS, the next stage will therefore be measured not only by further expansion, but also by whether existing consensus can be translated into practical cooperation.
With China set to assume the BRICS chairmanship in 2027, Kubayi voiced hope that the Chinese chairmanship will give fresh impetus to translating the grouping's expanding agenda into action.
"We would expect a BRICS group that is a bit more buoyant about cooperation next year. That is clearly the agenda being placed on the table," he said. ■
