Brazil is demanding China’s explicit support for its candidacy for permanent membership of the United Nations (UN) Security Council as one of the conditions for the expansion of the New Development Bank (NDB) – the so-called Brics bank.
Discussions are taking place on the first day of the 15th BRICS Summit, which takes place in Johannesburg, South Africa. China and Russia are pressuring the other members of the bloc (Brazil, India and South Africa) to accelerate the accession process from other candidate countries to strengthen the bloc.
Brazilian negotiators argue that it is contradictory for Beijing to defend the expansion of the group of large emerging countries in the name of changes in global governance and, at the same time, to be against the reform of the Security Council – the most important body of global governance, in which the Asian country has a permanent seat.
The Chinese, however, are reticent to any support for Brazil because South Africans and Indians have the same claim.
See also: Lula lands in South Africa for the 15th BRICS Summit
Beijing would hardly support India’s entry into the council, as the two countries are major regional rivals, including several disputes in the border zone.
Itamaraty sources told the CNN that Russia, the other member of the Brics with a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, is much more flexible with regard to the election.
Russian Chancellor Sergei Lavrov, who is representing President Vladimir Putin at the Brics summit, has already indicated in the past that Moscow would be favorable to Brazilian entry into the body.
In addition to Chinese support for the reform of the Security Council, the Brazilian government has also been asking for other clear criteria to be adopted for the expansion of the Brics before the announcement of the entry of any new country.
One of them would be to seek a regional balance among the group’s aspirants. Already being a member of the Brics, or the G20, would also help, according to Brasília’s assessment.
China and Russia want expansion
The issue of the bloc’s expansion is the main topic under discussion at the summit.
The idea of enlargement has been discussed for years, but it gained momentum recently due to the increasingly heated geopolitical dispute between China and the United States, the two largest economies in the world, and the isolation of Russia because of the invasion of Ukraine.
The Chinese intend to use the expanded group as a platform to project their influence around the world. And also as an alternative to global organizations that they consider dominated by the West, such as the UN, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other multilateral bodies.
The matter could be decided on the night of this Tuesday (22nd), when the leaders of the five countries meet in a kind of “retreat”. Avoiding arrest on an International Criminal Court (ICC) war crimes arrest warrant, Russian President Vladimir Putin will participate via teleconference.
The main candidates for joining the group are Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Argentina, Indonesia and Egypt. Iran is also pressing to be among the first new members, if invitations are made from this summit.
Source: CNN Brasil
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