“China has always held an important role in bridging gaps among nations and translating national interests into mutual benefits for whoever it interacts with,” Prof. Kwesi DLS Prah, a historian based in the Department of History at the University of South Africa, shared in a recent interview with GDToday as the 15th BRICS Summit was held in Johannesburg, South Africa, from August 21 to 24.
“The BRICS bloc and the subsequent summits represent as a milestone in relations across the Global South. BRICS exemplifies the existing history of solidarity among nations and states from the Global South,” said Prah.
BRICS allows its members to develop on an equal footing
Prah told GDToday that BRICS is now elevating the concerns in the interests of the states within the Global South and leveraging the unbalanced interests driven by certain states from the Global North. It brings a sort of balance and a common vision of success in development among nations within the Global South.
On August 24, BRICS leaders agreed to invite six countries, namely Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), to join the group.
According to South Africa's ambassador to BRICS Anil Sooklal, more than 40 countries have expressed interest in joining the BRICS group of nations, 22 of which have formally submitted applications.
In Prah’s opinion, the increasing number of possible new BRICS members is because many countries have been suffering from a growing unease caused by certain states that have controlled the economic and political arena for a long time.
Prah held that this process is a natural development because nations from the Global South have been pursuing more engagement and a louder voice in global governance and decision-making processes.
“But only now do they see a real opportunity to make a change in this whole conversation about creating an evenly balanced exchange rate system, economic development, and other issues. The bedrock of relationships within BRICS is that we see a concerted effort to build each other’s capacity and a positive development,” said Prah.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called for creating a common trading currency for BRICS countries to counter US dollar hegemony at this Summit.
Prah also believed that there is a serious concern about the reliance upon the US dollar to ensure smooth trade amongst states across the world.
“Relying on one currency is very dangerous. It's not a stable setup. A lot of nations in the Global South are realizing that they need to diversify their foreign currencies. And BRICS is trying to provide a platform for that,” he added.
Before the six new members joined, the BRICS countries already accounted for more than 42 percent of the global population. But the powers between the North and the South were still at a big imbalance. Negative voices about BRICS from the North also are common in media channels under their control.
Prah interpreted this as a push-back with anger or dissatisfaction when power shifts, in which the West feels foundations are shaking, the authority is changing, and their interests at hand have been challenged.
The BRICS countries are realizing the genuine need and determination of nations within the Global South to organize themselves better, formalize their interactions, and develop themselves on an equal footing, for better leverage, and more opportunities.
When China is trying to build its economy, it also builds others’.
As a historian, Prah is well aware that China and African countries share a long history of relations since Zheng He, China’s greatest naval explorer, sailed his treasure fleets as far as East Africa in the 1400s.
“China has done well to broaden its national interests and to be inclusive in its national interests. When China is trying to build its economy, it also builds others’,” said Prah.
China's imports and exports with other BRICS members expanded 19.1 percent year on year to 2.38 trillion RMB (about 330.62 billion USD) during the January-July period, data from the General Administration of Customs showed.
“These seem to be astronomical amounts of money, but they're fundamental to the development of these countries. African countries are now at a stage where need to be benefited from the material advancements of industrial enterprises. So, we need the assistance from nations and organizations. That's what China and BRICS offer us, and this is a fantastic opportunity to realize the social and economic development.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Summit called for joint efforts in building a community of shared development, and making sure that no country is left behind in the process of global modernization.
“President Xi proposed four initiatives on the global development of economy, security, civilization and governance. These initiatives highlight the global perspective of the BRICS, as a multilateral organization, in advancing social, political, and economic welfare for all humankind. This is a fantastic opportunity to realize global agendas.”
“Personally, I expect to see the BRICS bloc has a greater focus on cultural elements, promoting exchanges to further mutual understanding of people in the next step because the cultural exchange is one of the cornerstones of development,” Prah explained, “I'm one of the products of the academic exchanges between China and South Africa. I did my PhD and was invited as a lecturer in China for 8 years.”
Prah values this experience as a grounding and life-changing experience. “This has opened new doors for both myself and for my Chinese counterparts and colleagues, and we can cooperate on many levels till now. This has improved relationships and broken down misconceptions about each other. I hope that we make people-to-people exchanges stronger and more strategic when we go forward.”
Reporter: Rofel Ding
Poster: Lulu
Editor: Wing Zhang, Steven Yuen, Jerry
