SINGAPORE: Four Southeast Asian countries – Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand – have become partner countries of BRICS, a group of emerging economies that is seen as a counterweight to the West.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Wednesday (Oct 24), the @BRICSInfo account said 13 nations have been added to the alliance as partner countries. The other nine nations are Algeria, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Turkey, Uganda and Uzbekistan.
They are not full members of the group, which was established in 2006 and initially comprised Brazil, Russia, India and China. South Africa joined in 2010, while Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) became BRICS members this year.
The member economies represent over US$28.5 trillion or about 28 per cent of the global economy. The annual BRICS summit is being held in Kazan, Russia from Oct 22 to 24.
Malaysia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Mohamad Hasan said Malaysia can now enjoy better trade opportunities as the bloc has a combined population of 3.2 billion.
Malaysia is also committed to pursuing the agenda of the Global South in boosting collaboration, especially during Malaysia’s term as chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) next year, he said in a written parliamentary reply on Thursday (Oct 24).
“Malaysia’s desire to join BRICS represents its effort to uphold policies and identity as an independent and neutral country, striking a balance with great powers and opening up new business and investment opportunities,” he said, as quoted by media outlet Malay Mail.
Malaysia’s Minister of Economy Rafizi Ramli is scheduled to deliver the country’s national statement at the summit on Thursday (Oct 24).
“Through active involvement in the summit, Malaysia could strengthen its commitment to deepen relations with the BRICS countries and face the complex global economic landscape with full resilience,” he said in an Instagram post on Oct 22.
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had confirmed on Jul 28 that Malaysia had applied to join BRICS.
Meanwhile, Indonesia’s newly appointed Foreign Minister Sugiono is expected to call for peace and solidarity among developing countries at the summit.
“In BRICS Plus, Indonesia will convey the pivotal message of peace and the importance of developing countries and the Global South to unite, enhance solidarity, and play their important role in creating a more inclusive, just, and equal world order,” said the Indonesian foreign ministry in a statement on Tuesday (Oct 22).
Thailand is represented by Foreign Affairs Minister Maris Sangiamposa, while Vietnam is represented by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.
DIVERSIFYING TRADE AND FOREIGN RELATIONS
It is likely the four ASEAN members want to enhance trade opportunities, and diversify their foreign relations amid geopolitical uncertainties and war in Ukraine and in the Middle East, independent political risk analyst Halmie Azrie told CNA.
Another motivation could be to “further please China and thereby hopefully derive even better trade and investment terms with China, as China is clearly the driving force for BRICS”, said Dr Oh Ei Sun, senior fellow at the Singapore Institute of International Affairs think tank.
For Muslim-majority Malaysia and Indonesia, which support the Palestinian cause, “it is also a knee-jerk, one-upping attempt against the West which (is) solidly behind Israel”, Dr Oh added.
While some have raised concerns that the four Southeast Asian countries’ alliance with BRICS could put a strain on ASEAN, Dr Oh was more sanguine. Their status as BRICS partner countries is unlikely to have much impact on ASEAN, “beyond being perceived as tilting even closer toward China in the worldwide US-China contestation”, he said.
The four countries could also give the ASEAN region a “representative voice” to raise issues or share developments with BRICS members, said Mr Halmie.
With Malaysia as ASEAN chair in 2025, there could be more multilateral engagements or ASEAN Plus meetings with various countries in BRICS, he added. Mr Anwar invited Russian president Vladimir Putin to the 2025 ASEAN Summit when they met in September.
“However, valid concerns still remain about BRICS’ ability to govern effectively given its lack of formal structure, with the surge in diverse membership,” Mr Halmie noted.
Another concern is how the new members can add value to the organisation, he added.