The upcoming BRICS summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, will consider membership expansion for the first time. The current members of BRICS are Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Twenty-three other countries have expressed interest in joining the bloc.
The issue of membership expansion is a complex one. There is no consensus among the current members on the criteria for admission. Some members want to focus on admitting countries from developing regions, while others want to consider countries from all over the world.
Another challenge is that the BRICS countries have different political and economic systems. This could make it difficult to reach agreement on a common set of rules and regulations for new members.
Despite the challenges, the BRICS countries are committed to expanding the bloc. They believe that membership expansion will help to promote economic growth and development in the global south.
The BRICS summit is an important opportunity for the member countries to discuss membership expansion and other issues of common interest. The outcome of the summit will have a significant impact on the future of the BRICS bloc.
