The best way of looking at Malaysia’s application to join BRICS is to see it as an additional platform to gain a larger international voice, says Asian Studies professor James Chin.
There was a lot of excitement in foreign policy circles when Malaysia announced recently that it is seeking membership of the BRICS - an intergovernmental organisation comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China , South Africa, and as of 2024, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates -
Some commentators have said that joining BRICS will pave the way for Malaysia to gain greater economic opportunities, given that there are 1.6 million individuals with investable assets of over US$1 million in the grouping.Related:The best way of looking at Malaysia’s application to join BRICS is to see it as an additional platform for Malaysia to gain a larger international voice as a middle power,There have been deep-seated issues relating to OIC and ASEAN in recent years.
Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the Abraham Accords signed between Israel and several Arab states in 2020 to normalise relations. A major portion of BRICS is also devoted to South-South trade with China being the anchor. Malaysia is already a member of the China-led Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership , which does require changing domestic laws, so joining BRICS can be seen as natural progression.
It is clear that the rising powers, India, Brazil, South Africa and China, are at the forefront of BRICS and they are trying to set up a new platform for the developing world. Getting in early is better than getting in later. Malaysia is already late in the sense that Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia and the UAE joined at the start of 2024.
Russia, China and South Africa are leading critics of Israel on the Gaza issue, thus the Malaysian public would probably be highly supportive of Mr Anwar’s push to join BRICS.Critics will argue that by joining BRICS, Malaysia will be further “locked in” in its relationship with China, giving Beijing another lever to manipulate Malaysia’s foreign policy.
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