The BRICS Group countries are expected to intensify their efforts – today, Monday, in Rio de Janeiro, to defend pluralism, in light of the trade war launched by US President Donald Trump over the countries of the world, especially China, the most prominent economic power in the group of emerging countries.
Foreign ministers of member states of the BRICS (or their representatives) group will meet for two days, before the summit of heads of state to be held in Rio de Janeiro on July 6 and 7.
This year, Brazil is the period of the group, which includes -in addition to China -Russia, India, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the Emirates, Ethiopia, Indonesia and Iran. This meeting will be held at a critical time for the global economy.
The International Monetary Fund expects global growth to reach 2.8% this year, a rate that has been reduced with the customs duties announced by Trump and the reprisals taken by other countries.
“The ministers are negotiating a declaration aimed at reaffirming the centrality and importance of the multilateral trade system,” said Brazilian chief negotiator Mauricio Lerio on Saturday.
He added to reporters that the BRICS group, which represents nearly half of the world’s population and 39% of global GDP, will seek to consolidate its position defending trade -based trade in the face of unilateral measures “from wherever it comes”, as he put it.
Since his return to power last January, Trump has imposed customs duties of at least 10% on most US trading partners and 145% separate definitions on the majority of Chinese products entering the United States, and Beijing has received additional acquisitions of 125% on American products.
The domination of the dollar
It is likely to be included on the agenda of the sensitive issue related to transactions in non -dollar currencies within the BRICS countries, a matter discussed last October at the last summit of the bloc in Kazan Prussia.
Trump had threatened to impose 100% customs duties on the countries concerned if it tried to put an end to the international domination of the dollar.
Brazil is one of the least affected countries from the new definitions (10%).
Roberto Golartt Menezes, a professor of international relations at the University of Brazilia, said that the government of President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva may seek to ensure the adoption of the principle of “caution”.
“If we adopt a more striking position towards the United States, this will mean that the position of China has prevailed,” he told the French Press Agency.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duxcvsuil4a
The meeting will be chaired by Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, and will be attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi and others.
It is scheduled to open at about 11:00 local time (14:00 UAE time), and a final afternoon announcement is expected.
Tomorrow Tuesday, the BRICS countries will join in its discussions 9 countries related to the group.
Climate and Ukraine
Climate change is expected to occupy an important space of debate just a few months before the United Nations Climate Conference “COPA-30”, which will be hosted by Brazil in November in the Amazon city of Bellim.
The negotiator Mauricio Lerio stressed that “the issue of financing is very pivotal” for the BRICS group, and the Brazil’s position of the rich countries has a “commitment” to funding the energy transformation in other countries.
Washington announced on Friday that the American office responsible for climate diplomacy will be closed, 3 months after the announcement of the withdrawal of the United States, the largest pollutant in the world, again from the Paris Climate Agreement.
The BRICS group’s position on the war in Ukraine will be a follow -up, at a time when the Trump administration is pushing a peace agreement whose features appear favorable to Moscow.
