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Brics

Brics
Brics (an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) refers to an association of leading emerging markets. South Africa joined the group in 2010.
last updated:
24 October, 2024
Illustration: Craig Stephens
Diplomacy

Opinion | As the rules-based order declines, hegemony takes on a new form

From new development models to shifting norms, global power is now increasingly shared and contested across different regions and actors.

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Asean

Opinion | In joining Brics, Indonesia is showing itself to be strategic trailblazer

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China-India relations

Closer India-China ties: an unintended consequence of Trump’s tariffs threats?

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Russia

Russia, Iran to boost military and trade ties in ‘real breakthrough’ pact

Both countries signed a broad cooperation pact in the face of stinging Western sanctions.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian as they attend a signing ceremony at the Kremlin. Photo: AP
Asean

Opinion | Why Southeast Asia’s participation in Brics matters

With Indonesia joining the grouping and Malaysia and Thailand as partner countries, Brics has acquired not just mineral-rich members but also key Asean voices.

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Indonesia

Indonesia to keep pushing for South China Sea code, expand defence ties

Foreign minister Sugiono outlined Jakarta’s diplomatic agenda that included peaceful conflict resolution and continued support for Gaza.

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US-China relations

US urged to bolster Global South ties to counter China-Russia partnership

Washington must build up relations with ‘global swing states’ and offer a more ‘affirmative and assertive’ trade policy, say authors.

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China’s President Xi Jinping and then US president Donald Trump meet in Beijing during Trump’s first term in office. Photo: Abaca Press/TNS
Indonesia

Is Indonesia’s Brics entry a ‘strategic hedge’ or challenge to US interests?

The move, championed by Prabowo, reflects a bid to elevate Indonesia’s global standing – but could complicate ties with the US under Trump.

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Indonesia

Indonesia joins Brics as newest full member: Brazil foreign ministry

Addition of world’s fourth-most populous nation to group of major emerging national economies hailed as ‘deepening’ Global South cooperation.

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Banking & finance

Macroscope | Rising ‘United States of Eurasia’ will need a development bank to support it

From Eurasia’s vast potential to growing new development banks, emerging market economies are carrying more weight in a global economy.

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The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) ninth annual conference in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Photo: AIIB
Asean

Opinion | How Global South can resist US hegemony and its isolationism

Open engagement is key to countering both Donald Trump’s transactional nationalism and the US establishment’s drive for global hegemony.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Vietnam

Vietnam’s hesitation on Brics highlights delicate US ties, economic consideration

Vietnam’s delay in joining Brics reflects its balance between strengthening ties with the US and the potential benefits of aligning with a bloc seen as a US counterweight.

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United States

My Take | How America ended up creating the adversarial Brics of today

What began as a newfangled investment theme for emerging economies now holds hope for those trying to flee US financial coercion and abuse.

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US-China relations

Trump’s pick of Rubio as top US diplomat leaves Latin America bracing

Long-time outspoken China critic raises concerns in region he might press governments to choose sides between Washington and Beijing.

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Donald Trump and Marco Rubio share the stage at a campaign rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, on November 4, a day before the former US president won a second term. Photo: AP
United States

Opinion | Trump’s threats won’t hold back Brics push to de-dollarise

US dominance is pervasive but not infallible, and a divided Brics can still find common ground in the pursuit of a multipolar global order.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Diplomacy

Opinion | Besides the border, 4 issues obstruct warmer China-India ties

Both nations share similarities but also sharp differences in how they see the international order, its future, multipolarity and the Global South.

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Asean

Asian Angle | Why Asean’s neutrality is our greatest asset in a divided world

As Malaysia prepares to assume the 2025 Asean chair, its trade minister argues for a unified approach to navigate the US-China rivalry.

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Ukraine war

Xi Jinping tells Medvedev China seeks political solution to Ukraine crisis

China’s president says two countries should ‘promote the development of the international order in a more just and reasonable direction’.

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Russian Security Council deputy chairman and the head of the United Russia party Dmitry Medvedev, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping meet in Beijing on Thursday. Photo: Sputnik Pool Photo via AP
US-China trade war

Outside In | Trump’s destructive impact on world trade could take decades to unravel

The president-elect is doubling down on policies that did not serve the US well during his first term in the White House.

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Asean

Will Trump’s tariff threat push Southeast Asian nations away from China-led Brics?

Analysts warn nations to consider the risks of joining Brics, which could bring economic gains but may alienate the US and lead to trade barriers.

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Ukraine war

How Trump’s push to end Ukraine war tips his hand on China, Russia

US president-elect likely to encounter difficulties given the three countries’ aligned interests in challenging the West, analysts say.

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Illustration: Davies Christian Surya
Currencies

Opinion | Trump’s fuming over unlikely ‘Brics currency’ belies risks of de-dollarisation

Trump’s threat of tariffs over a currency that will likely never exist is a reminder of how much clout the dollar has in the developing world.

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Russia only started pushing to reduce global reliance on the US dollar after its banking system was cut off from the world’s reserve currency. Photo: AFP
US-China relations

WTO boss urges middle powers to defend global system ahead of US-China trade war

Deepening fragmentation looms with Donald Trump’s return to White House and joint diplomacy needed, says re-elected Nigerian economist.

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US-China relations

Trump threatens Brics countries with huge tariff if they undercut US dollar

The group, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and others, discussed boosting non-dollar transactions at a recent summit.

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Middle East

Opinion | Why Gulf countries don’t want to choose between China and the US

While Trump 2.0 could complicate the Gulf Cooperation Council’s relations with Beijing, member states are unlikely to sever ties with either power.

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Then-US president Donald Trump holds a chart showing defence sales next to Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Washington, on March 20, 2018. Photo: AFP
United States

Opinion | World must forge ahead with globalisation, with or without the US

Washington has long resisted efforts to reform the Western-centric international order. Now Trump appears poised to withdraw from it altogether.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
United States

Opinion | With Trump 2.0, it will be every country for itself

Given Trump’s policy direction, the only conclusion for realists is that self-strengthening must be the main thrust in a fragmenting world order.

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Ukraine war

Malaysia’s Ukraine stance, closeness to Russia could harm its image: analysts

Kuala Lumpur’s refusal to condemn Moscow and growing ties with Putin in a bid to join the Brics bloc may undermine its non-aligned stance.

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