Difficult for BRICS to stay united, says expert
BRICS founding members India and China have clashed over a border dispute, while other members have similar issues. (EPA Images pic)
ASTANA : An expert on foreign policy believes that the BRICS group of emerging economies would find it difficult to stay united with tensions expected to surface as the US-China trade war escalates.
Michel Duclos, a special advisor and resident senior fellow at the Institut Montaigne in Paris, said that while the bloc's members shared common worldviews, cracks were likely to appear in the grouping.
Michel Duclos.
'BRICS will continue because they have a lot of common interests in their views about the world.
'But the organisation will be less and less cohesive, and some tensions will start appearing between some of the members of the club,' he told FMT during the Astana International Forum, an international platform for dialogue on climate change, geopolitics, as well as food and energy security.
When asked which BRICS members were likely to clash, Duclos declined to name them but doubled down on his view.
'With issues like the trade war or various geopolitical issues, it's difficult to see BRICS remaining as united as it used to be.'
The term BRICS was coined for the economic grouping formed in 2009 by Brazil, Russia, India, and China. South Africa joined in 2010 and the bloc later expanded to include Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia.
Malaysia became a BRICS partner country on Jan 1 and could become a full member.
India and China, among the founding members of BRICS, have seen tensions in the past over border disputes, including a deadly clash between their soldiers in the Himalayan frontier in 2020.
Iran and the UAE also have territorial disputes in the Persian Gulf, while Egypt and Ethiopia have locked horns over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam project on the Nile River.
Thomas Greminger, executive director of the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, said one of the reasons for the differences within BRICS was the way its own members had differing perspectives on the bloc and its purpose.
'There are those that use it clearly as an anti-Western platform, and that is definitely the case for China and Russia, but you have others that wouldn't see it like that at all,' he told FMT.
For instance, he said, India and Brazil saw the grouping more as a platform to establish a global economic order that was more in their favour than that of the US.
'It's partly political, but it's not an anti-Western agenda. It's an agenda of being more assertive, to be taken more seriously as middle powers or as rising powers.'
Nonetheless, Greminger believed the bloc would remain cohesive at least in the medium term, due to frustrations with a world order perceived to be constructed by the West.
He cited the failure of the United Nations to reform the Security Council as one reason several countries were turning to BRICS. 'I think it's basically the fruit of a growing frustration with the traditional multilateral institutions.'
Because of that, BRCIS is likely to remain relevant in the medium term unless other regional and global organisations reform themselves to become more inclusive, he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Vietnam's top leader plans US trip as tariff deadline looms
HANOI: Vietnam's Communist Party chief To Lam (pic) is preparing to travel to the US in coming weeks as the two sides look to clinch a trade deal before President Donald Trump's higher tariffs kick in, according to people familiar with the matter. Lam aims to meet Trump to help finalise an agreement, the people said, asking not to be identified as the trip isn't finalised yet. It's unclear what date the party chief will travel, although preparations are being made for him to be there in the next few weeks, they said. He is expected to lead a delegation of Vietnamese officials and business executives, they said, as the nation looks to seal more deals to buy additional American goods to reduce its trade surplus with the US. Pham Thu Hang, a spokesperson for Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said she hadn't received any information about the visit when asked about it at a regular press briefing Thursday (June 19). The White House declined to comment. Negotiators are close to a framework agreement under which Vietnam is pushing for tariffs in the range of 20% to 25%, Bloomberg News previously reported. The US is demanding stricter enforcement against the transshipment of Chinese products and the removal of non-tariff barriers. The two sides held more talks in a virtual meeting on Thursday, attended by US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Vietnam's trade ministry said in a statement. Trade Minister Nguyen Hong Dien told the officials Vietnam seeks "to develop practical and harmonious' rules with the US to deter fraudulent exports. He also welcomed the proposals from Lutnick and Greer "to advance the negotiation process,' according to the statement. Vietnam has engaged in weeks of intense trade diplomacy since Trump imposed a so-called reciprocal tariff rate of 46% on imports from the country. He then postponed the duties until July 9, temporarily setting a 10% import tax on trading partners to allow time for talks. In recent weeks, top officials from Vietnam have gone to the US to rally support. The agriculture minister secured US$3 billion worth of provisional deals during a tour of US states. The trade minister met with executives from Nike Inc, Gap Inc, and Walmart Inc to encourage key industry players to get behind negotiation efforts. Vietnam is a critical industrial base for these companies, which count on the nation's factories to manufacture goods ranging from T-shirts and jeans to basketball shoes. Brands raced to move manufacturing to Vietnam over the past decade as US-China tensions escalated, helping turn the country into one of the world's biggest production hubs. The nation's trade connections with China, its largest bilateral trade partner, have been a major sticking point in negotiations. During Trump's economic battle with Beijing in his first term, the manufacturing shift to Vietnam helped build the kind of massive trade surplus that has drawn the ire of the US president. - Bloomberg
Malay Mail
4 hours ago
- Malay Mail
US may target Samsung, Hynix, TSMC operations in China, sources say
WASHINGTON, June 21 — The US Department of Commerce is considering revoking authorisations granted in recent years to global chipmakers Samsung, SK Hynix and TSMC, making it more difficult for them to receive US goods and technology at their plants in China, according to people familiar with the matter. The chances of the United States withdrawing the authorisations are unclear. But with such a move, it would be harder for foreign chipmakers to operate in China, where they produce semiconductors used in a wide range of industries. A White House official said the United States was 'just laying the groundwork' in case the truce reached between the two countries fell apart. But the official expressed confidence that the trade agreement would go forward and that rare earths would flow from China, as agreed. 'There is currently no intention of deploying this tactic,' the official said. 'It's another tool we want in our toolbox in case either this agreement falls through or any other catalyst throws a wrench in bilateral relations.' Shares of US chip equipment makers that supply plants in China fell when the Wall Street Journal first reported the news earlier yesterday. KLA Corp dropped 2.4 per cent, Lam Research fell 1.9 per cent and Applied Materials sank 2 per cent. Shares of Micron, a major competitor to Samsung and SK Hynix in the memory chip sector, rose 1.5 per cent. A TSMC spokesman declined comment. Samsung and Hynix did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Lam Research, KLA and Applied Materials did not immediately respond, either. In October 2022, after the United States placed sweeping restrictions on US chipmaking equipment to China, it gave foreign manufacturers like Samsung and Hynix letters authorising them to receive goods. In 2023 and 2024, the companies received what is known as Validated End User status in order to continue the trade. A company with VEU status is able to receive designated goods from a US company without the supplier obtaining multiple export licenses to ship to them. VEU status enables entities to receive US-controlled products and technologies 'more easily, quickly and reliably,' as the Commerce Department website puts it. The VEU authorisations come with conditions, a person familiar with the matter said, including prohibitions on certain equipment and reporting requirements. 'Chipmakers will still be able to operate in China,' a Commerce Department spokesperson said in a statement when asked about the possible revocations. 'The new enforcement mechanisms on chips mirror licensing requirements that apply to other semiconductor companies that export to China and ensure the United States has an equal and reciprocal process.' Industry sources said that if it became more difficult for US semiconductor equipment companies to ship to foreign multinationals, it would only help domestic Chinese competitors. 'It's a gift,' one said. — Reuters
The Star
5 hours ago
- The Star
Dr Wee: Top brass will weigh grassroots' views on future of MCA
KUALA LUMPUR: MCA's top leadership will take into account feedback from the grassroots before making any decision on the party's future direction, says party president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong. He was responding to resolutions passed unanimously by several MCA divisions during their annual general meetings calling for Barisan Nasional (BN) to be dissolved. MCA's 191 divisions are currently holding meetings to propose resolutions on the party's future. The resolutions urged the party to transform itself into an independent national political entity and contest future general elections under the MCA logo. They also firmly rejected any form of political cooperation with DAP. Dr Wee said the MCA Central Committee would carefully consider the views expressed by grassroots members. 'The party leadership will listen to the voices on the ground. I myself have visited several states to engage with members and hear their views. (Left to Right) Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong, Michael Soo and Raphael Tay delivering a special address and attending the book launch of Malaysia Business Law Review at a talk on Navigating the Impact of Tariffs on China-Malaysia Trade. — AZLINA ABDULLAH/The Star 'When the time comes to decide, the Central Committee will make its decision,' he said after attending the Malaysian Business Law Review book launch yesterday. Dr Wee said June is the month when MCA state-level divisions hold their annual general meetings, and these provide a good opportunity to gauge wider sentiments. Dr Wee stressed that while the leadership respects the grassroots members' views, the party's immediate focus is preparing for the upcoming state elections. 'With a few state polls approaching, MCA's priority now is to be well-prepared for those contests,' he said. All MCA divisions across the peninsula and in Sabah are currently convening for their annual general meetings (AGMs), with state-level AGMs scheduled for next month. The party does not have a presence in Sarawak. However, Barisan chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in an earlier statement said he was confident that MCA would remain in the coalition, despite possible calls within the party to push for a departure. Meanwhile, on the tariffs imposed by the US administration on Malaysian goods, Dr Wee, who is also Ayer Hitam MP, said the three-month grace period would end on July 9. 'Only then will we fully understand the extent of the impact. Negotiations are ongoing, and I wish Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz, who is currently in Washington DC leading the talks, and the Malaysian delegation all the best,' he said. Dr Wee pointed out that Malaysia's trade deficit with the US stands at just 5.6% – a far cry from the 47% figure previously cited by American officials. 'There is a significant disparity in the data. Dialogue is the way forward that would serve the interests of both nations.' Malaysia faces a 24% tariff on certain exports to the US unless both sides can reach an agreement before the 90-day pause. Separately, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim revealed that ongoing negotiations with the US over its unilateral tariffs are progressing well. Earlier, Dr Wee officiated the launch of the Malaysian Business Law Review, a joint publication by RDS Partnership and DeHeng Law Office. The book aims to provide Chinese investors with accessible, Mandarin-language insights into Malaysia's business legal landscape. He said the book's focus on key areas such as corporate law, intellectual property, taxation and employment law makes it a valuable reference for investors. 'The use of Mandarin enhances accessibility for Chinese-speaking legal professionals and helps position Malaysian legal perspectives within the broader Belt and Road legal discourse,' he said.
