BRICS is an intergovernmental organization comprising ten countries – Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. The idea of a BRICS-like group can be traced back to Russian Foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov and to the two forums RIC and IBSA. BRIC was originally a term coined by British economist Jim O'Neill and later championed by his employer Goldman Sachs in 2001 to designate the group of emerging markets. The first summit in 2009 featured the founding countries of Brazil, Russia, India, and China, where they adopted the acronym BRIC and formed an informal diplomatic club where their governments could meet annually at formal summits and coordinate multilateral policies. In April 2010, South Africa attended the 2nd BRIC summit as a guest. In September 2010 they joined the organization which was then renamed BRICS, and attended the 3rd BRICS summit in 2011 as a full member. Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates attended their first summit as member states in 2024 in Russia. Indonesia officially joined as a member state in early 2025, becoming the first Southeast Asian member. The acronym BRICS+ has been informally used to reflect new membership since 2024.
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Malaysia marks a pivotal moment in Beijing’s bid to outmaneuver the U.S. in Southeast..