BRICS Summit: Member Nations’ Varying Distances from U.S. Became Clear

Editorial

14:55 JST, July 9, 2025

Will BRICS nations strengthen their opposition to the United States and Europe, or will they seek to coexist? The differences in directions among the emerging and developing economies can be said to have become clearer with U.S. President Donald Trump’s return to power.

The BRICS bloc of major emerging economies, including Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, held a summit in Brazil. This was the first such meeting since the grouping expanded to 10 nations, but the leaders of China and Russia, which have led previous summits, were both absent.

This is the first time that Chinese President Xi Jinping did not attend, and the reason for his absence is unclear. Russian President Vladimir Putin participated online because of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and the fear that he might be detained in Brazil, an ICC member state.

The leaders’ declaration was generally restrained in its criticism of the United States. In addition to the fact that Brazil, the chair country, had originally taken the position of emphasizing relations with the United States and Europe, the absence of the leaders of China and Russia also likely had an impact.

Regarding the high tariff policy of the Trump administration, the declaration said that it “threatens to further reduce global trade, [and] disrupt global supply chains,” but avoided naming the United States.

Many member countries are in the midst of tariff negotiations with the United States. The group may have concluded that it would be unwise to goad Trump too much.

The declaration clearly stated that the group nations “express grave concern” over attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran’s nuclear facilities, but did it not mention the United States or Israel by name.

Iran, which has been a BRICS member since last year, called for harsh criticism of the United States and Israel. However, other countries that place importance on relations with the United States, including India and Egypt, reportedly opposed the idea. There is no doubt that the increase in the number of member countries has made it difficult to reach a consensus.

BRICS was launched by four countries the year after the global financial crisis of 2008. The goal was to seek greater economic benefits and amplify their voice in the international community. But since Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, China and Russia have increasingly tended to use the group as a counterweight to the United States and Europe.

The declaration this time did not include any criticism of Russia, which has been engaging in aggression against Ukraine. On the contrary, it clearly stated that “we condemn in the strongest terms” attacks against bridges and railway infrastructure in Russia, with Ukraine in mind.

It is completely backward for BRICS to defend the aggressor and criticize the country that has been subject to the aggression.

Many emerging and developing countries have a history of suffering under the control of major powers through force. They should not tolerate violations of international law by major powers; instead they should maintain their position of abiding by the rule of law.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, July 9, 2025)