Brics leaders urge cohesion, trade and use of local currency to grow Global South clout
At Brics business forum, Malaysia’s Anwar Ibrahim calls on emerging markets bloc to learn from Asean to challenge Western dominance
“We want to make sure that we speak from the position of strength, not ex-weak, ex-colonial countries, but as independent countries with a certain position,” Anwar said, speaking at the Brics Business Forum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. “We must be cohesive. We must speak as one, based on multilateral arrangements.”
The Brics gathering was “a voice for multilateralism, for collaboration, working with countries in the [Global] South, but still engaging with the countries in the North as friends in this new alliance”, Anwar said, highlighting the importance of emerging economies asserting themselves confidently on the global stage.
Brics, an acronym formed from the original members Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, has since added Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates to the group.