Indonesia is formally joining BRICS as a full member, further expanding the group of major emerging economies that also includes Russia, India, China and South Africa, a report quoted Brazil government’s statement appeared in The Jakarta Post today.
Indonesia had previously expressed its desire to join the group as a means of strengthening emerging countries and furthering the interests of the so-called Global South. Brazil, which holds the bloc’s presidency in 2025, said the member states approved Indonesia’s entry by consensus as part of an expansion push initially approved at the bloc’s 2023 summit in Johannesburg.
The South American nation noted that Indonesia’s bid got the green light from the bloc in 2023 but the Asian country asked to join following the presidential election held last year. President Prabowo Subianto took office in October. “Indonesia shares with the other members of the group support for the reform of global governance institutions, and contributes positively to the deepening of cooperation in the Global South,” the Brazilian government said.
The BRICS group also includes Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. During its presidency, Brazil aims to boost cooperation between countries of the “Global South” and reform multilateral institutions. One of the objectives, according to the government of left-wing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, is the “development of means of payment” to facilitate trade between member countries.
During the last BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia in November 2024, member nations discussed boosting non-dollar transactions and strengthening local currencies. This raised the ire of US President-elect Donald Trump, who threatened the group’s members with “100 percent tariffs” if they undercut the US dollar. – TJP/ERMD
