Russia's China envoy slams 'irresponsible' West for 'blackmailing', touts Brics bloc

Russia's ambassador to China accused the West of "constant blackmailing and pressure" during a peace forum in Beijing on Sunday, and attempted to position the Brics bloc of major emerging economies as an inclusive force that seeks to shape the future world order.

Igor Morgulov told the gathering that a unipolar world order, which he said had long served the interests of the "collective West", was "receding into the past" and no longer reflected the aspirations of the world. Instead, he suggested a more multipolar system was emerging.

"[The West] is doing everything in its power to preserve its domination including imposing on the rest of the world [its] self-invented rule-based order," he told a panel at the annual World Peace Forum, an event hosted by Tsinghua University.

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"[Their] goal is to make key decisions ... on our behalf while making sure that we implement that in a way that suits the West."

Igor Morgulov told a panel discussion that a world order created by the "collective West" no longer reflected the aspirations of the world. Photo: World Peace Forum secretariat alt=Igor Morgulov told a panel discussion that a world order created by the "collective West" no longer reflected the aspirations of the world. Photo: World Peace Forum secretariat>

In an attempt to revive the unipolar model, the West has been dividing the world and "uncompromisingly trying to force countries" of the Global South to take its side, Morgulov added.

The Russian envoy said that the United States and its allies had imposed unilateral sanctions on countries like Russia that disagreed with their views, adding that the US dollar has been weaponised and that the West has "irresponsible macroeconomic policies".

"The international community grows weary of the constant blackmailing and pressure from the West to please their new colonial ambitions," he said.

But Brics, he argued, is different. According to Morgulov, the bloc does not seek to isolate economies but instead seeks to foster cooperation among like-minded countries.

The group of emerging economies was founded by Brazil, Russia, India and China in 2009, with South Africa joining a year later. This year, it expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Russia, which assumed the rotating presidency on January 1, will hold the next summit in Kazan in October.

Brics now accounts for nearly half of the world's population and over a third of global GDP, surpassing the Group of Seven.

Morgulov told the panel that the expansion reflected the "rising international profile" of Brics, adding that the group would "undoubtedly play a more visible role in global affairs and allow voices of the developing world to be heard loud and clear".

The bloc has fought for greater representation of emerging markets in multilateral institutions, viewed by observers as seeking to challenge the West-led order.

Delegation heads pose for a picture during the Brics foreign ministers meeting in Russia, on June 11. It was the first meeting of the foreign ministers after the expansion of Bric in 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE alt=Delegation heads pose for a picture during the Brics foreign ministers meeting in Russia, on June 11. It was the first meeting of the foreign ministers after the expansion of Bric in 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE>

But Morgulov said Brics is "about genuine multilateralism", where countries with different histories, political systems and independent foreign policies can cooperate.

"Our aspirations are not aimed at creating yet another mechanism of dominance alternative to the Western one. Not at all," he said. "The association is actually participating in shaping the global agenda, defending common interests, and offering its vision of the future world order."

Some 30 counties have expressed interest in joining Brics, according to the Russian envoy, and with Russia as chair this year, it would seek to focus on cooperation in areas ranging from politics and security to economy and finance.

Morgulov said Brics was working on a financial system that would be "independent from the dominance of any third country", noting that trade among member states using national currencies such as Russian rouble and Chinese yuan had grown.

While a unified Brics currency would take "some time", the group is moving in that direction, according to Morgulov.

"We are now leaving this space - the dollar-dominated space - and developing new mechanisms and instruments, [and a] truly independent financial system," he said.

Morgulov was speaking during a panel focused on the Brics expansion and its impacts.

South Africa's ambassador to China Siyabonga Cwele, meanwhile, discussed the key role that Brics would play in a multipolar world, telling the same panel that the bloc's expansion reflected the "current realities" of the world.

He said South Africa viewed the expansion as a way to "strengthen our collective influence on global affairs and a more robust platform for negotiation and decision-making on international economic issues".

Brazil's envoy to China said the country has sought to increase the participation and influence of developing countries on issues such as international law and multilateral decision processes.

Marcos Galvao said Brazil continued to prioritise reforms to international institutions like the United Nations - including the UN Security Council - and for Brics to be "an expression of governance reform".

"It is essential that the world continues to see us working for the right causes. The causes of peace, of development, of reduction of inequality [and] combating hunger," he added.

Pradeep Kumar Rawat, India's ambassador in Beijing, said the expanding bloc sends a "clear message that the world is multipolar, rebalancing, and that old methods cannot address new challenges".

"Brics aspires to be a symbol of change in this regard," he said.

Rawat said he was disappointed over the failure of a "democratisation of the world order", saying that economic concentration had resulted in many nations at the mercy of a few.

"I have no doubt in my mind that by following a constructive agenda, many more countries would like to join Brics, and it may grow to become a second United Nations but a different United Nations where all member countries are equal," he said.

Asked about India's participation in Brics and other US-led frameworks like the Quad, Rawat said that there was no contradiction.

"There is a lot of noise around the Quad and it's very important for us to remove that noise," he said, adding that both the Brics and Quad groups have shared interests such as protecting sovereignty and the rule of law.

"Actually both are very complementary. And in my mind, the Quad will end up strengthening Brics rather than weakening it."

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2024 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

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