Malaysia Applies to Join BRICS Led by China and Russia

The scene from the BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting held last June [Image source=Yonhap News]

Malaysia has officially applied to join BRICS, the emerging economies alliance led by China and Russia.

According to local media The Star on the 29th, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim stated in a press release the previous day, "We have submitted the application to join BRICS to the chair country Russia," and "We have expressed our intention to participate as a member or strategic partner."

Prime Minister Anwar also emphasized that Malaysia's BRICS membership was a major topic during his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov the day before. Minister Lavrov expressed support for Malaysia's BRICS membership and promised assistance.

BRICS is an economic alliance established in 2006 by Brazil, Russia, India, and China to counter the West, including the United States. Last year, Egypt, Iran, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Ethiopia joined as new members. More than 40 countries, including Malaysia, have shown interest in joining.

While Malaysia advocates a neutral foreign policy, it has recently shown closer ties with China and Russia. Last month, Chinese Premier Li Qiang visited Malaysia to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. As an Islamic country, Malaysia has supported Iran and Palestine during the Gaza conflict, causing friction with the United States.

There is also analysis that China and Russia aim to expand BRICS to counter the United States and the West, which lead groups such as the Group of Seven (G7), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and the Quad (a security dialogue among the United States, Japan, Australia, and India).

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Zhen responded at a briefing that "If Malaysia's BRICS membership is realized, it will become the first Southeast Asian member. Does this mean BRICS is increasing its political influence in Southeast Asia?" by saying, "More and more emerging markets and developing countries, including Malaysia, are paying attention to and recognizing BRICS and hope to join."

Spokesperson Lin added, "We welcome more like-minded partners to come to BRICS, participate, and jointly lead the international order to develop in a more just and reasonable direction."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.