What to know about the three-day BRICS meeting (Jul 24-Jul 26):
Currently, top national security officials and senior diplomats from the BRICS bloc and other invited countries are in Johannesburg, South Africa for a three-day meeting.
The purpose of this meeting is to have in-depth exchange of views on hotspot issues including Russia-Ukraine conflict and other global security issues of common concern, which would serve as political preparations for the leaders' summit in August.
The meeting, which is scheduled to last from Monday to Wednesday, is chaired by South Africa's national security advisor Sydney Mufamadi, and is part of a series of BRICS meetings taking place ahead of the BRICS Summit in South Africa from August 22 to 24.
Aside from the BRICS member states, delegates representing a record 45 countries are also joining the three-day dialogue.
Senior finance, diplomacy and security officials from BRICS member states traditionally meet in advance to exchange views and hold detailed cooperation in preparation for the leaders' summit.
The Meeting of BRICS National Security Advisers and High Representatives on National Security is an important platform for BRICS countries to carry out political and security cooperation.
The three-day meeting will help BRICS countries coordinate stances on major global security issues, practice true multilateralism and promote global peace.
Topics covering traditional and non-traditional security threats, the Ukraine crisis, anti-terrorism and cyber security will be high on the summit's agenda.
The wider topics covered by the BRICS meetings as well as the growing interest of more countries in joining the mechanism underscore the bigger role it is playing in global governance.
What to know about the BRICS Summit (Aug 22- Aug 24):
This year's summit in South Africa has attracted high attention as it is the first offline gathering of BRICS leaders for the past three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It's a milestone in the growth of the multilateral mechanism.
South Africa has invited the heads of state of all African countries to the summit, which will discuss how BRICS countries can partner with Africa to help the continent achieve economic growth.
With the wider attendance of African countries, more focus will be put on how to further encourage cooperation between BRICS and Africa.
Additionally, how BRICS bloc can help implement free trade agreements in Africa and how developing countries can achieve social and economic development in the post-COVID era are expected to be discussed.
Importantly, more developing countries and new emerging economies, which have played a significant role in regional and global affairs, have expressed interest in joining the BRICS bloc, making the expansion of the mechanism important to the global governance system.
Discussions on expanding BRICS are expected to be high on the agenda for this week meeting as well as for the upcoming summit in August.
More countries, especially developing countries are getting increasingly disappointed with the US and the West abuse of the current international governance and financial system for hegemonic ends.
The BRICS' increasing attractiveness lies in its bigger role in building consensus, and more countries are seeking to join it to coordinate and work to solve problems that concern them, which worries the West led by the US.
The BRICS bloc is leading developing countries away from the West, especially when it comes to efforts to dump the US dollar.
Since its inception, the BRICS bloc has focused on cooperation among developing countries and not creating confrontations, which is why it has won the support of developing countries that are victims of geopolitical tricks.
BRICS has never had the intention of being a counterweight to the West, nor will it pull together small cliques. The deeper reason behind why the West seeks to smear the mechanism is their fear of developing countries' efforts in seeking the right to speak up in international affairs.
It is worth to note that the summit in South Africa, next month, will let the whole world see the strength of BRICS, with developing countries focusing on promoting economic development, encouraging trade and finance cooperation to make a greater contribution to global recovery and prosperity.
Why is BRICS bloc very important for Africa:
China and Africa are strengthening their relations, showing developing nations that it is possible and sustainable to have mutually beneficial cooperation between developing countries, there is an appetite in Africa for partnerships of equality.
The long-term stable China-Africa relationship continues to bear fruit for Africa, for it is China that first floated the idea of expanding BRICS to include more member countries when it chaired the BRICS group in 2022.
Ahead of next month BRICS summit, about 40 nations have expressed the desire to become members including countries in the Middle East, Latin America and Africa. South Africa's representative to BRICS has confirmed that the number is set to increase.
For African countries, BRICS is no longer an alternative model to the G7 Western economic model, but the economic representation of the dreams and aspirations of an ambitious Africa.
Through BRICS, Africa seeks to move from the periphery to the epicenter of decision-making and chart a viable development path for its people.
With the expansion, BRICS will become a bigger and better economic space for the Global South community. It is therefore an economic model that prioritizes a win-win cooperation, delivering benefits for all involved, just like the China-Africa relations.
China has held strong the position of Africa's largest trading partner for 14 consecutive years. During this period the continent has recorded exponential growth and development.
What makes BRICS an attractive development model for developing countries in Africa are the same reasons that have made China a much-valued development partner: A non-interference policy in the sovereign affairs of its development partners is a particularly important aspect of the profile of the development partner that Africa is keen to align with.
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