The BRICS grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa will add six nations to its ranks next year, as Beijing and Moscow push for the loose collection of emerging economies to evolve into a robust counterweight to Western global dominance.
Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates will join as members in January, the summit host, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, said Thursday, the last day of the three-day meeting in Johannesburg. The announcement marked the first expansion since South Africa joined in 2010 at the invitation of China.