Treading softly on the Brics expansion

The fallout of the Ukraine crisis and the impact of sanctions imposed on Russia by western nations are set to figure in the deliberations at the upcoming virtual summit of the Brazil-RussiaIndia-China-South Africa (Brics) grouping to be hosted by Beijing on June 23. The summit is being held against the backdrop of calls, mainly by China and Russia, to expand the grouping. This is a move aimed at strengthening the influence of China and Russia in the face of tensions with the West. It will also be the first Brics summit since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has posed serious challenges to the established rules-based order and led to a spike in the prices of food and energy.

India has given importance to all meetings of Brics mechanisms — the most recent being national security adviser Ajit Doval’s participation last week in a meeting of senior security officials of the group — despite the strains caused by the standoff with China. This is because Delhi believes that Brics gives an important voice to the aspirations of developing countries and fosters multilateralism. However, it is unlikely that the summit will lead to a major breakthrough, given the pressures on key members and their divergent positions on global issues.

India must proceed cautiously on any move to expand Brics, lest it leads to an organisation that only mirrors the interests of Russia and China. While there is a need to enhance cooperation between Brics and emerging economies, and countries such as Argentina and Indonesia can be potential candidates for an expansion, India should ensure that the opening up of the grouping is in line with its original mandate.