BRICS leaders are poised to adopt a position at odds with US President Donald Trump on trade tariffs, aspects of conflict in the Middle East and the need to tackle climate change.
In a draft statement prepared for their meeting in Brazil starting Sunday, leaders will voice “serious concern” about unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures, according to two officials from participating governments familiar with the ongoing deliberations.
The government chiefs will also condemn the imposition of “unilateral coercive measures that are contrary to international law,” the officials said, asking not to be named since the discussions are private and the text of the final communique could still change.
While not mentioning the Trump administration by name, the leading emerging-market nations are clearly referring to the US in the wake of the US president’s unilateral tariffs imposed on countries worldwide. Facing punitive levies, nations including founding BRICS member India are racing to strike deals with the US ahead of a July 9 deadline Trump has given for the tariffs to take effect.
At the same time, the reluctance to directly challenge Trump reflects divisions within the bloc, with some — such as India — closer to Washington than others, amid concerns that BRICS could become a vehicle for its largest member economy, China.
Even so, BRICS nations hosted in Rio de Janeiro by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva are at cross-purposes with the Trump administration on aspects of policy. That includes in the Middle East, with multiple references proposed to Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, according to the draft text.
‘Grave Concern’
The leaders may express “grave concern” about the situation in Palestinian territory, citing the resumption of Israeli attacks and the obstruction of the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, according to the officials. The language under consideration includes a condemnation of the use of starvation as a method of warfare — a reference to charges leveled at Israel, which it rejects.
They are also deliberating a call for the full withdraw of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, and expressing their opposition to the forced displacement of any of the Palestinian population from their territory.
That kind of statement — if the language appears in the final text when leaders wrap up their two-day summit on July 7 — is likely to be an unwelcome intervention as Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares to meet with Trump at the White House the same day.
BRICS leaders are also expected to express their backing for the Paris climate agreement — a pact which Trump unilaterally abandoned — while calling for global governance of artificial intelligence to mitigate potential risks, according to the officials. The US is leading the race to develop AI and is pushing back against attempts at regulation by the likes of the European Union.
The BRICS nations are Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, as well as more recent full members Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates. The declaration will welcome a further 10 nations as partner countries, including Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Vietnam and Thailand.
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