BRICS SUMMIT South Africa - Russian FM Lavrov arrives in Johannesburg

Leaders and senior officials from five of the world’s top emerging economies convened in Johannesburg on Tuesday to kick off the three-day BRICS summit.
The bloc—whose members are Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—represents 40 percent of the world’s population and a quarter of its GDP.
Two key issues will frame much of the bloc’s discussions: expansion and economic growth. The five attendees are expected to discuss criteria needed to admit new countries into the bloc.
Argentina, Belarus, Indonesia, Iran, Nigeria, and Saudi Arabia have all expressed interest in joining.
BRICS hopes that by enlarging the group, it can create a counterweight to Western economic and geopolitical dominance, something that has become increasingly important to BRICS members as China’s rivalry with the United States intensifies and Russia’s war against Ukraine drags on.