China, Russia want to create alternative to G7 – media — Analysis
Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reports that Beijing and Moscow want to expand BRICS to include four more nations
A German newspaper reported that Russia and China are seeking to make BRICS, a consortium of five emerging countries, a counterweight against the Western-dominated Group of Seven. Beijing and Moscow want to grow the group’s three remaining members, South Africa, India, and Brazil.
In a report on Wednesday, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung claimed that since the start of Russia’s offensive against Ukraine, and the imposition of sweeping Western sanctions, Moscow has been trying to strengthen and expand its alliances with nations in Asia, Africa and Latin America. After the G8 was dissolved, the Kremlin reportedly nurtured the idea of BRICS becoming an alternative to G7 (formerly G8) over the years. German media reports that these efforts have been doubled by the Kremlin.
Maria Zakharova (Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman) announced on Monday that Argentina, and Iran were applying to join the alliance. On her Telegram channel, the diplomat noted that this happened “While the White House thought about what to ban, disconnect or spoil around the globe.”
Earlier, officials in both Tehran and Buenos Aires confirmed their countries’ willingness to become full members.
Also commenting on Telegram, Russian senator Aleksey Pushkov, who previously served as the head of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the State Duma, argued on Monday that “although BRICS doesn’t declare this, it is capable of becoming an alternative and even a counterweight to the G7 in the future as it unites the leading countries of the non-Western world.” Pushkov described Iran and Argentina’s bids as a “breakthrough, as this not only undermines the West’s efforts to isolate Russia, but also considerably expands the top economic-political organization of the non-Western world.”
Meanwhile, experts cited by Russia’s RIA Novosti news agency claimed that ten more nations could join BRICS in future, including Mexico, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung claims that China, another founding member of BRICS, wants the club to grow. Beijing wants to include Egypt and Indonesia in the club. The article states that China, like Russia, considers a larger BRICS a possible alternative to the Western-dominated G7.
With this goal in mind, the paper alleges, Chinese President Xi Jinping rescheduled the group’s virtual summit from July 4 to June 23. Beijing wanted to hold the meeting in advance of the G7 summit, Bavaria, and NATO summit, Madrid in June.
The report suggests that China has also invited 13 guest nations to the BRICS summit to demonstrate the group’s growing global influence. Fiji, Algeria and Cambodia are all included.
In his address, President Xi Jinping described BRICS as a counter-project and a “big family,” as opposed to the US-led alliances, which he branded “Hegemonic, small circles”
While China’s Foreign Ministry announced following the summit that all BRICS member states supported the idea of expanding the group, Brazil, India and South Africa are not entirely on the same page on the matter, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung claimed.
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