BRICS: A China-Led Group Looking for Relevance
The DiplomatAug 29, 2023
Report: Saudi Arabia Still Pondering BRICS Membership
The Facts
Reuters reported on Thursday, citing two sources familiar with the matter, that Saudi Arabia is still considering whether to accept an invitation to join the BRICS group of nations, as Riyadh weighs the pros and cons amid mounting tensions between two members of the bloc — China and Russia — and the US.
This comes as both Minister of Economy and Planning Faisal Al Ibrahim and Minister of Commerce Majid Al-Qasabi said during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that the Kingdom hasn't officially become a member of the group of emerging economies yet.
The Spin
Anti-China narrative
BRICS is merely a notoriety-seeking PRC-dominated group that comprises countries that have nothing in common except the ambition to attain relevance in geopolitical affairs. Each nation certainly has its own reasons for applying to join the group, but ultimately, doing so can only deepen its dependence on China.
Pro-China narrative
The more that BRICS expands, the closer the world will be to a new, multipolar international order — with a robust, peacebuilding China —based on win-win cooperation and mutual respect that will replace the centuries-old exploitive Western dominance system. It's outrageous that the US and its allies keep judging the bloc and its members by their own standards.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that China will operate at least one military base in a BRICS country before 2026, according to the Metaculus prediction community.