A SUMMIT of the Brics bloc, made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, is to open on Wednesday in Johannesburg and is expected to approve the admission of new members.

Today was set aside for a series of bilateral meetings among the 1,200 delegates from the five existing Brics nations and dozens of other developing countries, including more than 40 heads of state

United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres also is expected to attend what is the first in-person Bric summit since before the Covid-19 pandemic.

More than 20 nations have applied to join the bloc, which already includes about 40 per cent of the world’s population and more than 30 per cent of global economic output, including Saudi Arabia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan will be at the summit, as will Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.

Founded by Brazil, Russia, India and China in 2009 the bloc was joined by South Africa the following year.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stressed today that Russian President Vladimir Putin would participate fully in the summit, despite appearing virtually, and would make a speech. 

Russia will also be represented in person by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

The main summit meeting is likely to also be dominated by calls for more economic co-operation and collaboration in areas such as health, education and climate change.

The growing sentiment that the UN, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund are under the control of the United States and their allies is likely to receive a wide airing.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa met his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in the capital Pretoria today and said that he sought “Chinese support for South Africa and Africa’s call for the reform of global governance institutions, notably the United Nations security council.”

Africa and South America have no permanent representatives on the security council, despite being home to nearly two billion people.

Mr Xi said that his country was ready for more co-operation with Africa’s most advanced economy “to take our comprehensive strategic partnerships to new heights.”

Although not officially on the summit agenda, there will reportedly be a closed-door session on food security, with the developing world especially eager to use its Brics ties with Moscow to press for an increase in grain shipments from both Russia and Ukraine.

President Ramaphosa led a mission to Russia and Ukraine in June, holding meetings with Mr Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the issue of boosting grain exports to Africa.