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April 23, 2025 – Beijing – Twenty years after its founding, BRICS has evolved from a loose economic grouping into a dynamic platform for multilateral cooperation, with a growing membership and an agenda that now spans energy, tech, security, and global governance reform. Following the bloc’s latest summit, analysts say the expanding group is creating new avenues for developing nations to collectively shape international rules.
Today, BRICS members represent nearly half the world’s population, about 30% of global GDP, and one-fifth of global trade. The bloc, which launched its formal cooperation mechanism in 2006 and held its first summit in 2009, has since welcomed new full members and partner countries, strengthening its claim as a voice for the Global South.
“BRICS has not only grown in numbers but also deepened the scope of practical cooperation,” said Mikatekiso Kubayi, senior researcher at the University of Johannesburg. He pointed to joint efforts in energy, culture, transport, technology, and security as areas where the bloc has moved beyond rhetoric.
Marcus Vinicius De Freitas, visiting professor at China Foreign Affairs University and senior fellow at the Policy Center for the New South, described BRICS as an invaluable mechanism for managing differences and converting shared interests into tangible cooperation in a multipolar world. “China is the driving force behind BRICS, yet its leadership is consensual, reflecting its win-win approach in foreign policy and global trade,” he said.
As BRICS matures, its potential to give developing countries a stronger say in global governance has become more pronounced. Gan Tian Loo, vice president of the Malaysia-China Public Relations Association, noted that over the past two decades BRICS members have built consensus on tackling financial crises, the pandemic, and unilateralism. Recent proposals, he added, place greater emphasis on contributing to global governance discussions and promoting equal application of international rules—an issue of particular importance to the Global South.
“Acting collectively on global governance reform can give Global South countries far more bargaining power than pursuing such calls individually,” Gan said.
Kubayi stressed that this focus on the Global South aligns with BRICS’ original objectives: strengthening the voice of developing countries and improving access to development instruments for the least developed. “His continuous reference to the Global South is essential because that is the whole purpose of BRICS in the first place,” he said, referring to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s remarks at the summit.
At the summit, Xi called on BRICS to pioneer innovation-driven development, uphold peace and stability, facilitate mutual learning among civilizations, and reform global governance. Julia Roknifard, senior lecturer at Taylor’s University in Malaysia, said such initiatives can help build consensus among Global South nations through day-to-day cooperation in tech, health security, agriculture, and other fields. “That is how they can strengthen their collective voice and influence,” she said.
With BRICS entering its third decade, implementation has become the key focus. Kubayi highlighted five initiatives proposed by Xi for deeper cooperation: open-source and inclusive AI, trade and investment facilitation, digital industry cooperation, intelligent manufacturing, and science and technology talent development. He identified AI as a field where emerging economies want not just to adopt new technologies but to actively shape how they are developed and governed.
“They should actively participate in shaping international frameworks and standards concerning AI safety, ethics, interoperability, and governance,” said Luan Camargo, executive director of the Institute for Brazil-China Business Research.
Economic cooperation is also taking concrete shape. In Brazil, Maria Elena Rodriguez, deputy director of the BRICS Policy Centre and professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, views China as a crucial partner for Brazil’s ecological transition, particularly through investments in electric vehicles, photovoltaic equipment, and green steel. Camargo added that sustainable development and innovation require peace and effective governance, while lasting partnerships depend on people-to-people exchanges.
Looking ahead, BRICS’ next stage will be measured not only by further expansion but also by whether existing consensus translates into action. With China set to assume the BRICS chairmanship in 2027, Kubayi expressed hope that the Chinese chairmanship will give fresh momentum to turning the group’s expanding agenda into real-world results. “We would expect a BRICS group that is more buoyant about cooperation next year. That is clearly the agenda on the table,” he said.
In a sign of the bloc’s growing institutional weight, the BRICS New Development Bank has approved new infrastructure projects in partner countries this year, underscoring the group’s commitment to financing sustainable development. Analysts believe that as China prepares for its 2027 presidency, topics such as digital currency settlement and AI governance will top the agenda, further amplifying the Global South’s role in shaping 21st-century global norms.
