Expansion of BRICS shows global shift

As 2025 gets underway, BRICS has continued its expansion, with Indonesia formally joining as its newest full member and eight other nations becoming partner countries. This demonstrates the group's growing vitality and strengthened representation, influence and appeal on the global stage, experts said.

The move, regarded as a milestone in BRICS history, was also seen as signaling a gradual shift in world power dynamics, as the grouping continues to attract Global South nations.

Originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, BRICS now accounts for nearly half of the global population, over a third of the global economy, and more than half of the world's economic growth.

Indonesia, which is Southeast Asia's largest economy and the world's fourth-most populous nation, is the first Southeast Asian country to join BRICS as a full member since the group opened the door to expansion in 2023. The new BRICS partner states include Malaysia and Thailand.

Last year, BRICS admitted a number of new members, including Egypt, Ethiopia and Iran, while more than 30 nations reportedly have formally applied to join the intergovernmental organization.

Indonesia's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that Jakarta sees its membership as a strategic step to improve the collaboration and cooperation with other developing nations, as well as a commitment to strengthening multilateral cooperation to create a global structure that is more inclusive and fair.

As BRICS enters a new era of greater cooperation, China has on multiple occasions expressed its readiness to work with the BRICS family to embrace the spirit of openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation.

"The future holds tremendous promise for greater BRICS cooperation," Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a daily news briefing on Tuesday.

In a speech addressing the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, in October, President Xi Jinping advocated the high-quality development of greater BRICS cooperation, calling on BRICS countries to build the multilateral mechanism into a major venue of solidarity and cooperation for the Global South and a vanguard of global governance reform.

The Chinese leader presented a broad vision at the summit for BRICS countries to stay committed to peace, innovation, green development, justice and closer people-to-people exchanges, in a bid to help BRICS, the leading echelon of the Global South, play a bigger role in building a better shared future for humanity.

Wang Youming, director of the Department for Developing Countries Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, said that in light of the rise of the Global South, China has called for advancing the process of expanding BRICS membership and establishing a partner country mechanism to enhance the representation and voice of developing nations in global governance, foster greater democracy in international relations, and promote a multipolar world.

The expansion of BRICS to Southeast Asia for the first time also means that the influence and voice of the BRICS countries in international and regional affairs have been enhanced, Wang added.

New governance model

Zhu Jiejin, a professor at Fudan University's School of International Relations and Public Affairs, highlighted that BRICS' adoption of a new governance model — characterized by equal cooperation, mutual respect, collective decision-making and policy coordination — has enhanced its attractiveness.

As an example, he cited the New Development Bank, the first multilateral development bank established entirely by emerging economies and developing nations.

"Unlike the World Bank, the NDB ensures equality by granting all founding member states equal voting rights, with no country holding veto power. This institutional framework guarantees fairness, mutual benefit and respect among its members," Zhu said.

Official data showed that since its inception in 2015, the NDB has financed more than 100 projects, with total loans reaching approximately $35 billion.

BRICS countries endowed with abundant natural resources, advanced manufacturing, vast markets and technological advantages have transcended the outdated concept of "winner takes all" and embraced a model of complementary strengths, said Liu Ying, a research fellow at the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies of Renmin University of China.

The grouping has become a major force in opposing protectionism while expanding the global economic pie, she added.

Economist Alexey Saliychuk hailed China in an earlier interview for championing innovation and green development to boost growth among the BRICS family. He mentioned China's success in the production of electric vehicles, lithium batteries and photovoltaic products, saying that "all these products are the backbone of the green transition of the world economy".

High-quality upgrading

China announced in October the establishment of several key institutions, including a BRICS Digital Ecosystem Cooperation Network, and welcomed active participation from all interested parties to drive the high-quality upgrading of BRICS cooperation.

Lan Qingxin, director of the University of International Business and Economics' BRICS Research Center, said, "The open and inclusive nature of BRICS cooperation continues to attract more countries to join, especially amid intensified strategic competition among major powers and escalating regional conflicts."

On critical issues such as geopolitical crises, a greater BRICS has played a leading role in amplifying the voices of Global South countries in advocating for fairness and justice, Lan said, adding that it also promotes dialogue and consultation to resolve disputes, contributing to security, stability and a favorable environment for development.

China-proposed initiatives have received positive responses from the international community, he said. China has jointly issued a six-point consensus with Brazil on a political solution to the Ukraine crisis and launched a "Friends of Peace" group with other Global South countries.