A worker arranges a signboard of the 15th BRICS summit outside the Sandton Convention Center in Johannesburg, South Africa, Aug. 17, 2023. The 15th BRICS summit is to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Aug. 22-24. (Xinhua/Zhang Yudong)
"As cooperation deepens, innovative financing mechanisms are explored and South-South cooperation develops, the influence of BRICS in shaping the international order will only increase."
ST. PETERSBURG, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- The BRICS countries possess immense potential to create equal and mutually beneficial partnerships, appealing to other nations to join the group, according to a Russian expert.
The BRICS' economic, agricultural, and outer space achievements show that it has become a powerful instrument of cooperation among developing countries, said Irina Kokushkina, associate professor of the Department of World Economy at St. Petersburg State University, in a recent interview with Xinhua.
Staff members sell products via live streaming at the commodity service center for products of the BRICS countries in Xiamen City, southeast China's Fujian Province, June 23, 2022. (Xinhua/Wei Peiquan)
She emphasized how BRICS offers reliable economic and trade collaboration, independent of political pressure from individual nations.
In the current context, certain countries economically suppress nations who refuse to serve their interests, leading to "global crises and growing uncertainties in the global economic and political processes," said Kokushkina.
Nevertheless, she noted that the BRICS countries cooperate on a mutually beneficial and equal basis. She added that many other countries, who find such an approach appealing, have expressed their willingness to join the bloc.
Kokushkina believes that the international influence of the BRICS countries has been "greatly enhanced," considering them as a force that cannot be ignored in global affairs.
The collective voice of the BRICS resonates when addressing various global challenges such as climate change, trade and development issues, she added.
This photo taken on July 25, 2023 shows wind turbines of the De Aar wind power project in De Aar, South Africa. The installed capacity of the De Aar wind power project invested by China's Longyuan Power and its South African partners is 244.5 megawatts (MW), which can stably supply clean power of about 760 gigawatt hour (GWh) annually, equivalent to saving more than 200,000 metric tons of standard coal, reducing carbon dioxide emissions of 700,000 metric tons. (Photo by Yeshiel Panchia/Xinhua)
In addition, she noted that China, the world's second-largest economy and a crucial player on the international stage, is an exemplar of practicing mutually beneficial and equal cooperation.
China also plays a vital role within the BRICS countries in balancing and stabilizing international relations, said the Russian scholar.
She expects a further expansion of BRICS influence at the upcoming 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The BRICS represents the interests of the majority of the world's countries, while certain groups catering to the interests of only a few countries are losing their geopolitical and economic influence, Kokushkina said.
"As cooperation deepens, innovative financing mechanisms are explored and South-South cooperation develops," said Kokushkina, "the influence of BRICS in shaping the international order will only increase." ■
