The leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa have held closed-door discussions on the possible expansion of their BRICS economic bloc
JOHANNESBURG — The leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa held closed-door discussions Wednesday on the possible expansion of their BRICS economic bloc, a move they’ve framed as a way to amplify the voice of developing nations, but which also serves the geopolitical interests of Beijing and Moscow.
A decision on whether to accept new members had been expected late Wednesday, the second day of a three-day BRICS summit in Johannesburg. But officials said that was looking unlikely and a declaration might be made on Thursday.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa met at a conference center in the Sandton financial district in South Africa’s biggest city.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who did not travel to the summit after being issued an International Criminal Court arrest warrant, joined via video link from Moscow. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was in Johannesburg to represent Russia.
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