Hung Tran, a non-resident senior scholar at the Atlantic Council's GeoEconomics Center, wrote in an essay that the dispute between China and India over membership expansion will "shape the prospects of aspiring BRICS countries and the organization's future." It is an audio recording of a crystal ball gazing. President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa revealed at the 15th BRICS Summit in August 2023 that six nations from the emerging market group—Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)—had been extended invitations to join the bloc. The effective date of full membership was set for January 1, 2024.
Authorities in South Africa have declared that 22 nations have formally sought to join the BRICS organization, and a comparable number of countries have expressed interest, notwithstanding Argentina's withdrawal. While the group's stature has increased as a result of this growth, it also brings up a sensitive topic: adding too many new members runs the risk of diluting the BRICS group and rendering it useless in terms of reaching an agreement.
This obviously involves two groups. China and Russia favor the BRICS group's rapid growth in order to bolster their influence in significant developing nations, many of which also view it as a chance to further their economic ties with China. India has distinct concerns that are grounded in its national interests. If the BRICS group accepts too many new members who are strongly aligned with China's goal, it does not want to lose its influence. Essentially, however, both Asian nations are eager to court the Global South—a theme that New Delhi emphasized during the G20 summit in September of last year.
In 2009, the founding nations of Brazil, Russia, India, and China convened their inaugural summit in Yekaterinburg, Russia. A year later, South Africa became a member of the bloc. Initially aimed at showcasing investment prospects, the alliance transformed into a unified geopolitical bloc. Since 2009, its governments have convened yearly for official summits and coordinated multilateral strategies.
