The President of Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Tuesday that the goal of the BRICS bloc of nations is to organize the developing Global South and is not intended to compete with the United States and the Group of Seven (G7) rich economies, as reported by Reuters.

His comments indicate a divergence in the vision of the bloc’s leaders Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, who arrived in Johannesburg today for the summit. Some members are pushing in the direction of making the bloc a counterweight to the West.

Heightened global tensions sparked by the Ukraine war and Beijing’s growing rivalry with the United States have prompted China and Russia, whose President Vladimir Putin will actually attend the meeting, to seek to strengthen the BRICS bloc.

However, their vision of an enlarged BRICS capable of rivaling the global dominance of the US and Europe, was met with skepticism by some members. And the outcome of the enlargement debate could determine its future after it has long been criticized for a lack of cohesion.

“We don’t want to be a counterpoint to the G7, the G20 or the United States,” Brazilian President Lula said on Tuesday during a social media broadcast from Johannesburg. “We just want to get organized.”

Summit host South Africa welcomed China’s Xi Jinping, the main proponent of BRICS enlargement, who arrived on Tuesday. “I am confident that the upcoming summit will be an important milestone in the development of the BRICS mechanism,” Xi Jinping said shortly after arriving in South Africa.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said during a bilateral meeting with Xi that the two countries had “similar views” on the expansion.

“We share your view, President Xi, that BRICS is a vital forum that plays an important role in reforming global governance and promoting multilateralism and cooperation around the world,” he said.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also attending the August 22-24 summit.

Putin, who is wanted on an international arrest warrant for war crimes in Ukraine, will not travel to South Africa.
Beyond the issue of enlargement, strengthening the use of Member States’ local currencies is also on the agenda of the summit. South African organizers, however, say there will be no talks of a BRICS currency, an idea floated by Brazil earlier this year as an alternative to reliance on the dollar.

The profile of each country and the conflicting aspirations

The BRICS remain a disparate grouping, ranging from China, the world’s second-largest economy now facing a slowdown, to South Africa, which is grappling with a power crisis that has led to daily blackouts.

Russia, for its part, hit by sanctions over the war in Ukraine, wants to show the West that it still has friends.

India, however, is closer to the West, as is Brazil under its new leader.

Two members, India and China, have clashed at times over their long-disputed borders, exacerbating the problem of decision-making in a consensus-based group.

Expansion has long been a goal of China, which hopes that wider membership will add strength to a grouping that is already home to about 40 percent of the world’s population and a quarter of global GDP.

The leaders will hold a dinner on Tuesday evening, where they are likely to discuss a framework and criteria for admitting new countries.

Who are seeking enlargement?

Russia wants new members.

India, which is wary of Chinese dominance and has warned against hasty expansion, has “positive intent and an open mind,” Foreign Minister Vinay Kwatra said on Monday. Brazil, meanwhile, worries that BRICS expansion will reduce its influence, although Lula on Tuesday reiterated his desire to see neighboring Argentina join the bloc.

While a potential BRICS enlargement remains up in the air, the group’s commitment to champion the developing world and offer an alternative in a world order dominated by wealthy Western nations it is already finding resonance.

More than 40 countries have expressed interest in joining BRICS, South African officials say. Of these, nearly two dozen have formally applied to be admitted, while some are expected to send delegations to Johannesburg.