By Enyichukwu Enemanna
US President Donald Trump says his administration will impose an additional 10% tariff on countries aligning themselves with what he called the “Anti-American policies” of the BRICS group of developing nations, who kicked off a summit in Brazil on Sunday.
BRICS is presenting itself as a haven for multilateral diplomacy amid violent conflicts and trade wars, to rival other groups such as G7 and G20 which have been hit by divisions and the “America First” approach of Trump.
In opening remarks at the summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva drew a parallel with the Cold War’s Non-Aligned Movement, a group of developing nations that resisted joining either side of a polarised global order.
“BRICS is the heir to the Non-Aligned Movement,” Lula told leaders. “With multilateralism under attack, our autonomy is in check once again.”
In a joint statement released on Sunday, BRICS warned the rise in tariffs threatened global trade, continuing its criticism of Trump’s tariff policies.
Hours later, Trump warned he would punish countries seeking to join the grouping.
“Any Country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS, will be charged an ADDITIONAL 10% Tariff. There will be no exceptions to this policy. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
The US leader did not, however, provide further clarification on the “Anti-American policies” reference in his post.
Trump’s administration is seeking to finalise dozens of trade deals with a wide range of countries before his July 9 deadline for the imposition of significant “retaliatory tariffs”.
Lula on Saturday told business leaders that BRICS nations now represent more than half the world’s population and 40% of its economic output, warning of rising protectionism.
At its first summit in 2009, the group was made up of leaders from Brazil, Russia, India and China and later received South Africa.
Just last year, the bloc added Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates as members. Saudi Arabia, according to sources, is yet to formally join the group, which also has Nigeria as a partner nation.
More than 30 countries have expressed interest in participating in the BRICS, either as full members or partners.
Expansion of the bloc has added diplomatic weight to the gathering, which aspires to speak for developing nations across the Global South, strengthening calls for reforming global institutions such as the United Nations Security Council and the International Monetary Fund.
“If international governance does not reflect the new multipolar reality of the 21st century, it is up to BRICS to help bring it up to date,” Lula said in his remarks, which highlighted the failure of US-led wars in the Middle East.
While urging the BRICS to take the lead on reforms, Lula reflected on the G20 summit hosted in the same locale last November: “In a short period of time, the international scene has deteriorated to the point that some of the initiatives we approved then would no longer be possible now.”
While Chinese President Xi Jinping chose to send his premier in his place, Russian President Vladimir Putin is attending online due to an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court related to his war in Ukraine.
