The acronym BRICS stands for an association of five major emerging national economies that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The term "BRICS" was coined in 2001 by Jim O'Neill, the then-chairman of Goldman Sachs, who was largely responsible for organising the initial meeting of the foreign ministers of the initial four BRIC states (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) in New York in September 2006 at the margins of the General Debate of the UN General Assembly. This initiated the beginning of a strategic dynamics that eventually led to the group's first formal summit in Yekaterinburg on June 16, 2009. Eventually the group enlarged to five with the inclusion of South Africa in 2010. It may also be mentioned here that Afghanistan, Argentina, Indonesia, Mexico and Turkey have expressed strong interest in full membership of the BRICS while Egypt, Iran, Nigeria, Sudan, Syria and, most recently, Bangladesh and Greece have also expressed interest in joining BRICS.
Since 2009, the BRICS nations have met annually at formal summits with member countries taking turns to host. China has just hosted the 9th BRICS summit in Xiamen from September 3-5, 2017. India convened the previous summit in 2016.
Some significant facts may be noted before assessing the performance of the latest BRICS summit meeting. As of 2016, the five BRICS countries represented over 3.6 billion people, or about 48 per cent of the world population. The five nations have a combined nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of US$16.6 trillion, equivalent to approximately 22 per cent of the gross world product (GWP) and a combined GDP (PPP) of around US$37 trillion with an estimated US$4 trillion in combined foreign reserves. Overall, the BRICS group expanded its economic paradigm by about 4.5 per cent in 2016, as against its estimated growth of 3.9 per cent in 2015. The World Bank has since observed that it expects BRICS growth to pick up to 5.3 per cent in 2017.
THE NINTH BRICS SUMMIT: Bilateral relations among BRICS nations have mainly been conducted on the basis of non-interference, equality and mutual benefit. This principle was, however, seriously tested this year just before the convening of the 9th Summit. It may be recalled that in July, world capitals heaved a sigh of relief when the two-month long stand-off and the prolonged confrontation between the armed forces of China and India at the Doklam trijunction in the Himalayas eventually toned down. Both Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi used the opportunity of their side-line meetings during the summit to reiterate their commitment to work together on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence to improve political mutual trust, promote mutually beneficial cooperation and push Sino-Indian ties along the right track. This was an example of positive dynamics at work.
Du Yifei of the People's Daily of China has noted some important aspects of the 71-point Xiamen Declaration issued on September 04 on the conclusion of the latest BRICS summit. It has been pointed out that the participating leadership agreed to energise practical cooperation to boost development, enhance communication and coordination in improving global economic governance. This was stressed to foster a more just and equitable international economic order. The Declaration also emphasised the need for fairness and justice to safeguard international and regional peace and stability. Attention was drawn to the fact that this factor could be promoted through the embracing of cultural diversity and people-to-people exchanges.
However, BRICS leaders seem to have forgotten to look outside their meeting room and to take notice of the inhuman treatment the Myanmar armed forces were perpetrating against the Rohingya Muslim community at that time in the Rakhine State. Nevertheless, one needs to also note some other positive outcomes of the Xiamen summit.
Indian Prime Minister Modi underlined certain significant aspects. He referred to the adoption of UN's 2030 Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and stressed on the imperative of collaborative action to achieve the goals that include inclusive growth. He also correctly noted that domestic efforts in this regard needs to be buttressed by strong international partnerships, proactive sharing of experience and resources across a range of sectors: from strengthening democratic institutions to deploying high-tech solutions for public good.
In their interventions the participants reiterated the need to create a safer world through organised and coordinated action in the areas of: Counter Terrorism, Cyber Security and Disaster Management. There was also consensus on the need to counter Climate Change, through initiatives such as the International Solar Alliance; sharing and deploying suitable technologies to enhance efficiency, economy and effectiveness; bridging the digital divide within and outside the BRICS economies; enhancing the skill of the emerging youthful population; creating a healthier world: by cooperating in research and development to eradicate diseases, and enabling affordable healthcare for all; creating equality of opportunity for all, particularly through gender empowerment and equality; creating a connected world: by enabling free flow of goods, persons and services; and, promoting ideologies, practices, and heritage that are centered on peaceful coexistence and living in harmony with nature.
Zhao Minghao of China's Renmin University noted that such aspirations have underlined the positive efforts on the part of the BRICS mechanism and has transformed it into an important international economic bloc. He has made an important observation with regard to BRICS efforts to boost trade in services, investment and e-commerce. It was noted that BRICS members' trade in services had reached in 2015 about US$ 540 billion, about 11.3 per cent of the world's total. Zhao Minghao has gone on to suggest that "with the middle class expanding in BRICS countries, there is plenty of opportunity for cooperation in healthcare, tourism, education and other sectors".
With regard to trade, emphasis was attached to the need to avoid protectionism. Bangladesh entrepreneurs should carefully monitor how BRICS countries accomplish this task and try to replicate the scenario. This is already being done successfully by Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. We need to remember that we will be able to move forward at a faster pace in Bangladesh and within the sub-region if we can create further stimulus and help develop small and medium-size e-commerce enterprises. This will then become our driving force within the changed matrix of Bangladesh being a middle-income country.
The Xiamen Summit, as in the case of the BRICS Summit held in Goa, India last year (where there was the BIMS-TEC outreach factor), added a dimension through the concept of "BRICS Plus". Mexico, Egypt, Guinea, Thailand and Tajikistan attended the Summit in China as part of the BRICS Plus initiative. This enabled the BRICS message to reach out to Central Asia, South East Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America.
The other important aspect was the careful scrutiny of the need to have deeper political and security cooperation. The existing political situation in the Middle East and North Africa received careful attention, while issues relating to Afghanistan found their place in the Joint Declaration. The BRICS leaders also condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations wherever committed and by whomsoever. It was, however, interesting to observe that though China's Foreign Ministry condemned North Korea's nuclear bomb test (carried out at the same time as the Summit meeting), President Xi did not mention North Korea during his 45-minute address or in his televised remarks during the Summit plenary session on September 04.
It has been decided that the next BRICS Summit will be convened in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2018. The world will have to wait and see how international affairs evolve over the coming months. Several factors in Europe, BREXIT, Far East and South East Asia, South Asia and in the Middle East will influence the geo-strategic paradigm and BRICS will need to step forward with care.
The writer, a former Ambassador and Chief Information Commissioner of the Information Commission, is an analyst specialised in foreign affairs, right to information and good governance.
