How BRICS builds consensus amid growing diversity after big expansion

Editor's note: Xu Feibiao, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is a senior researcher and the director of the Center for BRICS and G20 Studies of China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR). The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

Since BRICS began its new round of expansion in August 2023, the current number of BRICS members has doubled, reaching 11 countries, and 10 BRICS partner countries – often referred to as "semi-members" – have been added. BRICS has thus entered a new phase of "Greater BRICS Cooperation."

At the same time, some skeptical and pessimistic voices, largely from Western countries, have also increased and intensified. Among various voices, there is a viewpoint that is quite popular, which holds that the rapid increase in BRICS members and the increase in heterogeneity will inevitably increase the difficulty of reaching consensus, reduce decision-making efficiency, and ultimately lead to the decline of BRICS amid contradictions and differences.

However, this is merely a small part of the development of the situation. The greater truth is that the differences among the BRICS countries have not hindered the continuous progress of BRICS cooperation. 

In fact, in the three years since the launch of the "Greater BRICS cooperation," the cooperation achievements have been remarkable, with internal cooperation expanding rapidly in areas such as the economy, finance, agriculture, industry and artificial intelligence. At the same time, BRICS has launched new initiatives and plans on climate change, health and reform of international institutions, some of which are gradually gaining global influence.

The bloc is also upgrading its cooperation framework, moving toward a broader structure involving member countries, partner countries and cooperating countries. As a result, BRICS's international status and influence are catching up with the G7 and existing international institutions. A report released by the Körber-Stiftung in Germany and other institutions in 2026 stated that several major countries in the Global South believe that "BRICS is more important than the United Nations, IMF and World Bank".

International organizations have always had the paradox of "deepening and expanding." However, in the case of BRICS, this "curse" seems to be failing. After years of exploration, BRICS has gradually found a way to build consensus in diversity and difference.

First, it earnestly adheres to the cooperation model and spirit of sovereign equality, mutual respect, openness and inclusiveness, consultation and consensus, and win-win cooperation. Unlike other international organizations such as the G7, within the BRICS framework, there is no country that dominates or imposes its will on other member countries. Regardless of size or strength, all countries are treated equally. Meanwhile, BRICS actually provides a very sound platform for negotiations and communications for conflicting members. This new type of cooperation model helps to lay a institutional foundation for BRICS to overcome differences and promote unity and cooperation.

Second, BRICS takes the economic development cooperation as its core agenda. Although BRICS also emphasized the cooperation in the fields of political security, cultural and people-to-people exchanges, it is not a security organization, nor a political alliance targeting other countries, but a platform of South-South economic cooperation in its essence. By setting aside political, security and ideological differences among countries and focusing on mutually beneficial cooperation in such areas as intra-BRICS trade, investment, finance, industry, technological innovation, sustainable development, etc., BRICS can consolidate and expand the common interests of all countries, thereby fostering mutual trust and generating other cooperation demands, thus laying the foundation of interests for BRICS cooperation. The BRICS countries have huge market potential and are complementary to each other in terms of economic resources, industries and geographical locations. By focusing on development cooperation, diversity will not be an obstacle but a cooperation advantage.

Third, it adheres to the new identity of Global South and to its new mission of speaking out for the countries of the Global South. A common goal and vision can effectively overcome the obstacles brought about by diversity and differences. It is the shared identity and mission that have brought the BRICS countries together, enhancing their mutual cooperation and jointly promoting the establishment of a fair, just, open and inclusive international order, to promote world peace and sustainable development.

As BRICS enters its 20th anniversary year in 2026, it remains a young institution compared to the G7 or the Bretton Woods system. But youth, in this case, is not immaturity – it is vitality. With the multipolar world taking shape, BRICS is not only adapting but also gaining momentum. The doubters may keep counting contradictions; the members, however, are busy building convergence, and the golden future of BRICS.