BRICS leaders have invited six new members to join the powerful economic alliance of developing nations, marking the rise of the Global South in geopolitics and the world’s new political and financial architecture.  Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and Argentina officially join BRICS in January next year – in a paradigm shift that would rearrange international politics, dent the petro-dollar system and expedite the demise of the United States of America’s (U.S) empire.   The move…

The leaders of the BRICS countries approved the final declaration of the 15th summit of the association, called “Johannesburg-2”, said South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, which paved the way for Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and UAE to join the economic alliance.  The text of the Johannesburg Declaration is published on the official website of the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation. “As five BRICS countries, we have reached an agreement on the guiding principles, standards, criteria…

BRICS leaders presented a united front at the Johannesburg summit, promising to deliberate on the bloc’s expansion, push for a common currency and reform global governance systems in favour of the Global South. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Brazilian leader Lula da Silva vowed to tackle global challenges together without forcing members to choose between BRICS and Western political and economic blocs such as the Group…

South Africa and China have taken their political and economic ties to the next level, signing several trade agreements and agreeing to “consult closely” on issues of common concern within BRICS and other multilateral forums.  Speaking to the media at the Union Buildings during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit on Tuesday, President Cyril Ramaphosa said he and Xi had agreed to adopt a joint approach to global issues of common interest.  This included reforming the United Nations Security Council…

Farmers in Mpumalanga have appreciated the recently signed bilateral agreement, enabling South Africa to export its abundant avocado harvest to the People’s Republic of China. The agreement was signed on Tuesday at the Union Buildings in South Africa’s capital city, Pretoria, coinciding with the highly anticipated BRICS Summit, set to commence today. Thoko Didiza, the South African Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform, and Rural Development, and Yi Wang, the Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs, signed the agreement as representatives of…

President Cyril Ramaphosa has defended South Africa’s non-alignment foreign policy position, insisting that it was anchored on national sovereignty and the protection of constitutional order.  He said expanding the BRICS bloc brings together nations committed to an equitable and balanced global order despite different political systems.  During his address to the nation on Sunday evening, ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s State Visit to South Africa,  President Cyril Ramaphosa said the country’s foreign policy was the product of the Freedom…

South Africa has tighetend security and restricted its airspace for the BRICS Summit which begins in Johanesburg next week. The country said it is prepared to extend a warm reception to delegations from BRICS member nations, who are scheduled to convene at the Sandton Convention Centre. The summit, regarded as an “important event on the calendar of geopolitics,” is anticipated to commence on the upcoming Tuesday, as confirmed by the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) of the South…

TV BRICS International Media Network has signed a partnership agreement with the Pan-African multimedia organization, African Times, in a cooperative move that will see the two parties exchanging content and sharing comprehensive information on joint projects. Last month, the content syndication deal was signed on the sidelines of the Russia-Africa Summit in St Petersburg, Russia.  TV BRICS, based in Moscow, Russia, is a network of more than 30 media organizations and tertiary institutions from the BRICS bloc (Brazil, Russia, India,…

GENEVA, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) — The 15th BRICS summit, to be held in South Africa this month, is expected to make the global governance system fairer and counterbalance the dominance of Western countries, Carlos Maria Correa, executive director of the South Centre, told Xinhua on Wednesday. The event’s agenda will be topped by efforts toward de-dollarization (reducing the U.S. dollar’s hegemony) and the bloc’s expansion, said Correa. The BRICS group of major emerging economies — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa…

President Cyril Ramaphosa has been called out for caving into United States of America (USA) pressure not to protect Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was expected to attend the BRICS summit in Johannesburg next month.  The West has also been accused of undermining South Africa’s sovereignty and independent foreign policy, by weaponising trade and resorting to economic blackmail to achieve its foreign policy objectives.   Yesterday, Ramaphosa’s office confirmed that they reached a “mutual agreement” with Putin that he was better…