BRICS Countries

China

Introduction
China’s rise from a poor developing country to a major economic power in about four decades has been
spectacular. From 1979 (when economic reforms began) to 2017, China’s real gross domestic product
(GDP) grew at an average annual rate of nearly 10%. According to the World Bank, China has
“experienced the fastest sustained expansion by a major economy in history—and has lifted more than
800 million people out of poverty.”

As a result, China is one of the most influential powers in international politics today. As its economic
and military power increases, China seeks to play a role in global governance.

Economic Rise
In 1978 under the ruling of Deng Xiaoping the focus of the country’s foreign policy shifted from ideology-
driven to a more pragmatic way of acting, aiming at ‘independence and peace’. Deng charted a course
for China’s rapid economic development that combined successful reform and openness to capitalistic
international economy with the continued one-party rule of the CCP. In the 1990s China began
activating diplomacy with neighboring countries, and more weight was put on international affairs by
joining international institutions.

In the first decade of the 21st century, China once again experienced strong economic growth. By the
end of the decade, China’s economy accounted for 10% of the world economy. This growth was driven
by the “going global” foreign policy implemented under Jiang Zemin. A change towards a more active
role was witnessed during the early 2000s, when China’s role in international institutions became more
active. China became a member of the World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund, a
permanent member the United Nations Security Council and a member of the ASEAN+3. China’s aid
program in Africa, for example, has already exceeded that of the World Bank. China has repeatedly
participated in UN peacekeeping operations.

In the past 30 years, China’s interests in the world have rapidly increased and China’s position in the
world has become more important. In 2009 China surpassed Germany as the world‘s largest exporter.
Today China is the second-largest economy in the world after the US.

The year 2010 has become known as China’s ‘year of assertiveness’. The turning point for China was the
West’s 2008 financial crisis. While affecting most of the world, the crisis barely made an appearance in
China. The Chinese Communist Party drastically misinterpreted events. China translated this as the fall
of American hegemony and seized the opportunity to assert itself. After realizing that the United States
was still the predominant power, China went to reassure the world that it was not a threat. However,
calls for a more democratic and multipolar world in which decision making is conducted collectively by
all states remains.

China & The BRICS

In the BRICS, China leads the grouping in every indicator. For example, China alone accounts for 55% of
BRICS’ GDP and 49% of their military spending. As a result of this dominance the grouping was described
as nothing more than China with partners group.

The BRICS group has found its origin and synergy precisely in China’s overwhelming need for raw
material and food, which has significantly benefitted BRICS economies by contributing to their economic
success. Reciprocal need and trade among these countries have become a binding force that will unite
them as long as China continues to grow.

For instance, in 1999-2010, purchases from China went up 24 times in Brazil, while this import boom
increased 25 times in India and 400% in Russia. During this same period, China consumed 133 billion
dollars’ worth of raw materials from Brazil, 180 billion dollars-worth from Russia and 103 billion dollars-
worth from India, making China a strategic partner in the BRICS. China is Brazil, Russia and South Africa
main trading partner, and China is India's third most important trading partner. In fact, it can be argued
that China’s growing domestic needs has fueled the economic rise of the BRICS countries and other
trading partners.

China Around the World

Today China is perceived to be a country with different perceptions. Some China watchers believe that it
is no more a developing country. In the wake of the 2008 subprime crisis, China's standing in the
international economic governance has also got bolstered with the G-7 leadership calling upon the
Chinese leadership to play a more significant role in the global economic system. According to a
Goldman Sachs report, during the period 2000-09 China contributed more than 20% of world's GDP
growth.

In the first decade of the 21st century China was making agreements and initiating numerous economic
projects internationally and other BRICs countries were prospering. Furthermore, Asian countries are
increasingly dependent on China’s expanded market for their exports.

In Africa Chinese firms have been most active in building ports, roads and railways that will underpin
integration and trade between African nations. A position which reminds us of the pre–World War I
British investment which laid the foundation for the highly interdependent international economy
developing at that time. Meanwhile, the value of China-Africa trade in 2017 was $148 billion but the
combined total value of African trade with the U.S. in 2017 was just $39 billion, according to figures
compiled by the US Agency for International Development.

Moreover, China recently launched a $1 billion Belt and Road infrastructure fund for Africa. These
alongside other development initiatives and aid offered to African countries are indicative of Chinese
"soft power." In development, Beijing can utilize this avenue of engagement to increase its political
influence globally.
 India

History
British ruled over Indian from 1858 and 1947 in a period known as "the British Raj". India was
considered to be Britain’s most important colony from an economic standpoint as a source of raw
materials and an important market for British goods.

Britain’s economic impact on India is a heavily debated topic. Some historians have argued that Britain
helped India transform to a more modern economy. This was mainly achieved through infrastructure
projects most notably the railways which allowed India to efficiently transport goods and peoples across
its vast terrains. Whereas, others argue that British economic policies in India were repressive and
benefitted the British Empire over the people of India. A 2018 research paper estimated the resources
taken by the British to amount to $45 trillion.

Nonetheless, negative or positive, it can be argued that British colonialization of India left a deep
economic footprint on the country.

Meanwhile socially, Britain helped liberalism take root in India by institutionalizing it through schools
and colleges, newspapers and colonial law courts, which led to today’s Indian democracy. The views of
Gandhi owed much to British institutional influences, his knowledge of Indian law, as well as his
friendship with British liberals. Meanwhile, Nehru (Former Prime Minister of India), had been a pupil at
Harrow School and Cambridge.

In the colonial period, British institutions and ideals led to a rising political consciousness among the
Indian social elite which fed a growing nationalist sentiment in India in the last decades of the
nineteenth century. In 1885 of the Indian National Congress was established and it focused on
promoting self-government for Indian people. This eventually led to the rise of Mahatma Gandhi.
Gandhi, along with other members of the Indian National Congress, which called for India’s
independence and was able to achieve it in 1947.

Independence and Economic Growth

Following independence, socially India was recovering from religious conflict because of the Partition
and economically the gross domestic product GDP per capita was a poor $70.

From 1947 to 1990, The country was governed by mostly one party (the Indian National Congress) and
by the Nehru–Gandhi family. Economic policies mirrored the socialist policies of the old Soviet Union,
and private enterprises were not encouraged. Most developing industries, like automobiles and steel,
were protected from outside competition by trade barriers and tariffs. Several industries, including
banking and coal, were nationalized and the overall growth rate of the country stagnated.

India tried democratic socialism with a planned economy for the first four decades after independence
from Great Britain, but this failed to produce any noteworthy growth. During the early 1990s, faced with
the collapse of the Soviet Union (India’s major trading partner) and other domestic issues such as
unemployment and poverty India’s economy was facing a grave crisis.

As a result, the Indian Government began urgent talks with the International Monetary Fund seeking
emergency aid. The conditionalities attached to the IMF aid package led to the liberalization of the
Indian economy. Meanwhile they were seen as imposed on the economic sovereignty of the nation and
sparked political criticism on the left and right.

In the 1990s the country began following free market policies. Tariff barriers were lowered and
exchange rate policies were reformed which opened the doors for foreign investment creating
employment opportunities that led to the growth of the middle class and domestic consumption, and
that resulted, again, in more foreign direct investments to meet the demand of Indian consumers. As a
result, the GDP growth rate increased from 4% to around 7%.

Moreover, as a result of these economic reforms India became the fifth largest economy in the world
and the largest democracy with a population of 1.2 billion people. This remarkable rise from an
impoverished former British colony to a major world player allowed India to stand now ready to assume
a greater international role. One which membership of the BRICS will aid in achieving.

Regional Power
An aspiration to play a key role in global affairs coupled with economic growth allowed India to rise as a
regional power. It enjoys special relationship with Russia, plays a key role in the South Asian Association
for Regional Cooperation and the World Trade Organization. The nation has provided 100,000 military
and police personnel to serve in 35 UN peacekeeping operations across four continents. It participates in
the East Asia Summit, and other multilateral forums. India has close economic ties with countries in
South America such as Brazil and in Africa such as South Africa (in which it invested over 4$ billion). It
pursues a "Look East" policy that seeks to strengthen partnerships with the ASEAN nations involving
economic investment and regional security.

However, the country’s regional aspiration and goals are threatened by a competing China which raises
the question, who is the leader of Asia?

China & India Relations

India is the 5th largest economy in the world and the second in the BRICS, yet China’s economy is four
times larger than India’s and the rising dragon leads the BRICS at every indicator from GDP to military
budget. However, disparities between the two nations and hostility reaches farther then mere GDP rate.

As of 2020 unemployment rate in India is 24% compared to 4.3% in China. Literacy rate in China was
almost 97% in 2018 compared to 75% in India during the same year. This is the result of backward social
policies by Gandhi and Nehru which restricted formal education to the elite class (mainly men).

Almost 7% of India's population, live below the poverty line, meanwhile in 2020 the Chinese
government announced that all residents in China have been relieved from extreme poverty.

Moving from the socio-economic aspect to the military one, India went to war with China in 1962 over
disputed Himalayan border. India lost and was widely thought to have been humiliated. Moreover,
China's nuclear test of 1964, as well as its repeated threats to intervene in support of Pakistan in the
1965 war, convinced India to develop nuclear weapons.

BRICS will cease to exist if India and China cannot hold together.

Domestic issues and challenges

While China may be the external threat or challenge for India, the country faces numerous domestic
dilemmas that must be dealt with to ensure a sustainable model of growth that is needed to propel the
country to a superpower status globally.

 Trade liberalization in India led to a dramatic rise in inequality and associated social issues.
 On per capita basis, India ranked 142nd by GDP.
 Almost 7% of India's population, live below the poverty line.
 Illiteracy rates are high especially among women. Gender discrimination affects many aspects in
the lives of women from career development and progress to mental health disorders. India will
not fully develop unless both sexes are granted equal opportunities for growth.
 Unemployment rates are high in India, as of 2020 almost a quarter of the population is
unemployed.
 Meanwhile, millions of children are forced into child labor due to poverty and high illiteracy
rates. According to the ILO, there are around 13 million Indian children engaged in work
between the ages of 7 to 17 years old.
 Furthermore, as of 2020, India was the third most polluted country in the world.
 As a result of COIVD 19, 21 million jobs have been lost.

The government should pay close attention and take the necessary steps to reduce inequalities so
everyone can enjoy economic growth evenly, especially people living in rural area. The government
should promote the manufacturing sector for future economic growth, in order to reduce dependency
on IT and the service industry.

South, South Cooperation

The emergence of a number of large developing countries as major players on the international stage
has brought the question of South-South co-operation to centre-stage. South-South ties, be it economic
or political, are more important now than they have ever been. In fact, between 1990 and 2008, while
world trade expanded four-fold, South-South trade multiplied by more than 20 times. Therefore south,
south cooperation can be an effective policy for India.

India, is building its position as a leader in South-South co-operation, much like it played key role in the
Non-Aligned Movement. India has been sharing its expertise and development experience with other
developing countries since its independence from Britain in 1947.

For India, South-South co-operation is seen as a means to promote partnerships based on its firm belief
that we live in an interconnected world where the global community shares a common destiny.
Moreover, what makes India an attractive partner for development cooperation is the fact that it does
not attach conditionalities to its co-operation and aid.
Like other countries, India gives aid for a variety of reasons, such as economic, political, security and
diplomatic. It can be argued that Indian policymakers understand that both aid and increased economic
interaction with other countries can help to reposition India as an emerging power. A perquisite for
becoming a global one.

India’s development co-operation policy is based on a holistic approach and is based on two main pillars:

 Economic co-operation, focused on trade and investment

 Technical co-operation, focused on technical capacity building through training, exchanges of
experts and sharing of experience and knowhow.
 Russia

An emerging state is one that is undergoing a transformation and growing; a state whose rising power
causes it to question its place in the international system and to seek to assert itself more ambitiously in
international politics. Rising China, for example, sought to increase its assertiveness following the
2007/2008 global financial crisis.

However, Russia’s experience during the 1990s was not one of emergence as one of confusion and
decline, both domestically and internationally. Therefore, Russia is not an emerging power in the
conventional sense.

The arms race to keep up with the United States, damaged the Soviet Union’s economy and its decline
began in the 1980s. During the first five years after the collapse, the Russian economy contracted to
approximately half its former size. The rise in global energy prices in 1998-1999 helped the country’s
economy to recover, however the underlying growth rate has been modest. Economic difficulties were
accompanied by political ones. The early years after the collapse of the USSR were marked by very
unstable relations between the executive and the legislature. In the late 1990s and the early years of the
present century, Russia’s views on international issues were ignored. Meanwhile, domestic chaos and
the decline of its international status led the country to adopt incoherent foreign policies.

When Vladimir Putin took office in 1999, he inherited a weak, corrupt and paralyzed country. Vladimir
Putin goal was to enact a series of internal reforms designed to rebuild the country, seeking to restore
its superpower status of the Cold War.

Russia contemporary policies resembles not those undertaken by other emerging powers, rather
policies initiated by previous Russian and Soviet governments at times of domestic weakness. Defeat in
the Crimean War of the 1850s led to a similar emphasis on internal reform and keeping a low profile in
foreign policy.

The 2000 Foreign Policy Concept of the Russian Federation demonstrated the country’s dissatisfaction
with the unipolar distribution of power within the international system and considered American
unilateralism as a significant threat to Russia. It also declared that the foreign policy of the Russian
Federation must be aimed at strengthening the key mechanisms of multilateral governance, primarily
under the umbrella of the UN Security Council. The latter is rooted in the disproportionate influence the
country enjoys in the Council.

However, Russian leader were well aware of their country’s vulnerability. Therefore, instead of adopting
a foreign policy of balancing or bandwagoning against the United States, they adopted one of “ducking”.
For example, Russia opposed the use of force in Iraq in 2003, but since direct opposition might carry
significant cost, it refrained from doing so.

Russia’s acknowledgement of US preponderance and recognition that cooperation with the United States
was necessary in addressing the most significant international (and transnational) threats facing the
Russian Federation such as terrorism, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Cooperation
with the US was also pragmatic. It carried potential gains in respect to 2 key areas
1. Defusing international criticism of Russia’s conduct in Chechnya
 2. The opportunity to integrate in the world economy

Early on in his presidency, Putin made it very clear that Russia’s identity was not in contradiction with
Europe. However, Russia’s interest in Europe was damaged by Europe’s focus on liberal values which
does not coincide with Russia’s pragmatic interests. For example, Russia ran into problems with the
European Union over political transitions in Georgia (2003) and Ukraine (2004). Russia viewed these
transitions as threatening to its regional influence. Meanwhile the European Union regarded them as an
opportunity for the establishment of democratic rule in the former Soviet Union neighborhood.

On the surface similarities between China and Russia provide fertile ground for a Sino-Soviet alliance.
Yet the prospect of the latter is very limited because Russia is unwilling to risk its partnership with the
US, through an alliance with China. Furthermore, China’s rise can be a potential threat to Russia’s
influence in Central-Asia and economic gains reaped by military sales must be balanced out against the
political risk of accelerating the threatening rise of China which may undermine Russia in the region.
 Brazil

The end of the Cold War brought economic and political change to the global order and to Brazil. The
country consolidated democracy and first stabilized, then renewed, economic growth. Its presence and
influence in the world grew significantly especially under the rule of Lula da Silva.

Lula da Silva and economic rise

When Lula da Silva became the country’s first elected “leftist” president in October 2002, many argued
that he will be the Brazilian Hugo Chaves, lavishing cash on social projects to boost his popularity at the
expense of economic liberalization. He proved himself to be an economic pragmatist.

Lula enacted several significant changes in the Brazilian social sphere. Among the most notable was the
socioeconomic program, Bolsa Familia. The Bolsa Familia awards families in absolute poverty a small
amount of money. As of 2010, 12.4 million households had enrolled in the program. He also managed to
increase minimum wage and created 13 million new jobs giving Brazilians a sense of hope and
demonstrated the value in redistribution of income. Social programs enacted under the Lula
administration that helped lift tens of millions of Brazilians out of poverty.

During his administration, from 2003-2011, Brazil made significant economic strides and dramatically
improved its macroeconomic stability, built foreign reserves, reduced its debt, kept inflation rates under
control, and committed numerous reforms that earned it its place in the BRICS community.

The country boasts well developed agriculture, mining, manufacturing, and service sectors. Today, Brazil
has one of the most advanced industrial sectors in Latin America. Brazil is a major supplier of
commodities and natural resources around the globe.

By the end of 2009, Brazil’s economy represented 55 percent of the GDP of South America. Brazil had
achieved an unprecedented economic growth of 7.5% during 2010 – the highest rate since 1986, and
the fifth highest out of all the G20 countries. As a result, it had overtaken Italy to become the world’s
fifth largest economy.

Meanwhile, the country’s economy’s solid performance during the 2008 financial crisis contributed to its
emergence as rising global power.

Brazil is aggressively pursuing access to foreign markets through assertive, yet pragmatic, trade
negotiations. Brazil remains a vocal and prominent player in the World Trade Organization fighting for
fairer and more balanced trade. To further increase its international profile (both economically and
politically), it sought to expand trade ties with developing countries, as well as a strengthening of the
Common Market of the South (Mercosul). The trade bloc also plans to launch trilateral free trade
negotiations with two other BRICS countries India and South Africa.

Also contributing to the country’s economic surges has been China’s demand for Brazilian commodity
exports. In fact, China is the largest Brazilian partner when it comes to imports and exports. Another key
component to Brazil economic success is its openness to foreign investment. A 2007 report from the
United Nations ranked Brazil the fifth most attractive country in the world for investment. Traditionally
the United States is the top foreign investor in Brazil.

However, Brazil’s economic boom is not without its blemishes. The country’s growth rates remain by far
one of the lowest of the five BRICS. Inequality exists in all the BRICS countries, but the gap is widest in
Brazil and South Africa. Economic reforms are painfully slow. Meanwhile, The Brazilian government’s
spending is growing faster than their overall economy.

With its new found economic leverage, it is clear that Brazil is no longer deferring to United States policy
desires. In 2010, Brazil’s President Lula flexed the country’s new found political might and stepped out
against the U.S. led policy on Iran, voting against the United Nations resolution against Iran’s nuclear
program.

Nonetheless, its wealth of natural resources and rising importance in the in the hemisphere make Brazil
unique. While China’s and Russia’s political future remain uncertain and India’s politics increasingly
dominated by smaller parties with local interests to protect, Brazil stable democratic governance have
created a solid foundation for steady and predictable growth over the next several years.

Regional dominance
Under President Lula and perhaps for the first time, Brazil has begun to think of itself as a regional
power in Latin America and an emerging player in global affairs. Brazil occupies almost half of the South
American continent making it the fifth largest country in the world and the largest country in Latin
America. Furthermore, Brazil’s population of almost 200 million and its GDP of $2.4 trillion makes it “the
largest economy in Latin America and the seventh largest in the world”.

Meanwhile, The Lula administration sought to improve relations with its South American neighbors and
increased regional trade and investment meanwhile pursuing economic and political integration. Brazil
efforts of diversifying “relations by forging stronger economic and political ties with other nations of the
developing world, and supporting multilateralism by pushing for the democratization of global
governance challenge US hegemony.

In terms of regional multilateralism, Brazil has played an active role in organizations such as the
Common Market of the South (Mercosur) and the Union of South American Nations (Unasur). Similar to
the agenda of the European Union, Mercosur’s purpose is to promote free trade among member states
and eventually implement a continent-wide economic trading bloc. Brazil is crucial to any effort by South
American nations to create an economically and politically integrated continent because of its economic
size. For example, 60 percent of Unasur’s total economic output is accounted for by Brazil’s economy.
Success of the Unasur will depend therefore on member countries’ willingness to accept Brazil as a
leader.

However, it was argued that while Brazil need to demonstrate independence from the US and an ability
to formulate decisions on its own, this must be done without assuming a controversial position that may
hamper relations between the two countries.
 South Africa

History:
South Africa enjoys a long and a rich history. The first modern humans are believed to have inhabited
South Africa more than 100,000 years ago. European exploration of the African coast began in the 13th
century when Portugal committed itself to discover an alternative route to the silk road that would lead
to China. The country has been colonized by both the Netherland and Great Britain and in fact it was
regarded as British colony up until 1961.

Various historical periods and events had a significant impact on the country’s identity and foreign
policy, but none of them had a deeper effect than the apartheid era.

After the National Party gained power in South Africa in 1948, its all-white government immediately
began enforcing existing policies of racial segregation. Under apartheid, nonwhite South Africans would
be forced to live in separate areas from whites. By 1950, the government had banned marriages
between whites and people of other races, and prohibited sexual relations between black and white
South Africans. A series of Land Acts set aside more than 80 percent of the country’s land for the white
minority.

Resistance to apartheid within South Africa took many forms over the years, from non-violent
demonstrations, protests and strikes to political action and eventually to armed resistance. But it was
the arrest of the revolutionary Nelson Mandela that drew international attention. Later on, as the police
opened fire and tear gas on a children demonstration, the UN denounced apartheid in 1973 and in 1985
both the US and UK imposed economic sanctions of the country. In 1990 Nelson Mandela was freed
after 27 years of imprisonment and by 1994 the apartheid was ended.

Economic Power
South Africa is the second largest economy in Africa. However, it is the most industrialized,
technologically advanced, and diversified economy on the African continent. South Africa has a
diversified economy dominated by the services sector (65%) followed by manufacturing, mining and
agriculture. Since 1996, at the end of over twelve years of international sanctions, South Africa's Gross
Domestic Product almost tripled to peak at $400 billion in 2011. The nation is among the G20, and is the
only African member of the group.

South Africa is the second largest producer of gold and is the world's largest producer of chrome.
Principal international trading partners of South Africa besides other African countries include Germany,
the United States, China, Japan, the United Kingdom and India.

Regional Preponderance
In 1994, the South African economy accounted for 50 per cent of sub-Saharan Africa’s GDP, it is the
continent’s most industrialized economy, its financial sector and remains widely admired for its
innovation, while the Johannesburg Stock Exchange is the seventh largest in the world. The opening of
diplomatic ties with the rest of Africa provided opportunities for South African business to expand
beyond its borders as never before. South Africa has consistently, since the early 1990s, contributed 70
per cent of Southern African Development Community’s (SADC) GDP and 60 per cent of the region’s
total trade. In 2021,South Africa is ranked as having the 4 th largest military in Africa.

BRICS Membership

In line with its foreign policy which seeks to both strengthen south-south cooperation and denouncing
isolation after decades during the apartheid era as a pariah state, South Africa joined the BRICS in 2010
and hosted the 5th BRICS summit 3 years later.

Looking beyond the size of South Africa’s economy, it becomes clear why South Africa, from a
geopolitical viewpoint, was invited to join the BRICs. South Africa’s geostrategic port locations and
resources would allow BRIC to better compete with the G7 in global issues. Meanwhile the country can
serve as a gateway to the African continent.

Moreover, South Africa is an extremely resource rich country and has a strategic location on the 3
essential shipping routes from West to East. The route around Cape Agulhas becomes extremely
important to the BRIC countries if one considers the vulnerability of the Suez Canal to political and
military instability. The share of BRICS in South Africa's total trade has grown to 19% in 2012.

South Africa succeeded in launching the BRICS Business Council during the 5 th BRICS Summit in South
Africa and established the BRICS Think Tanks Council which seeks to develop policy options for the
BRICS.

Bilateral Relations
Since 2009, China has been South Africa's largest bilateral trading partner in Asia. China has massive
financial stakes in South Africa, mainly in banking, infrastructure, mining, transport and renewable
energy. For instance, the Industrial Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) has a massive investment of $4.7
billion, a 20% stake, in South Africa’s Standard Bank.

The bilateral relations between India and the South Africa have grown strong since the end
of apartheid in South Africa in 1994. India is South Africa’s 2nd largest trading partner in Asia, and both
countries enjoy an extensive energy partnership. South Africa has promoted signing a free trade
agreement with India and the Southern Africa Customs Union.

In January 1948, Brazil and South Africa established diplomatic relations. Both countries maintain open
channels of dialogue in multilateral forums and provide constant mutual support for their candidacies in
international organizations.

South Africa and Russia have reportedly signed a cybersecurity cooperation agreement that will see the
two BRICS nations working closer together in an effort to strengthen their defenses against cyber
threats. In addition, the Russian-South African talks on the sidelines of the BRICS summit produced a
wide range of agreements, including cooperation in communications and joint construction of nuclear
power plants.

Since South Africa’s transition to democracy in 1994, the United States and South Africa have enjoyed a
solid bilateral relationship. South Africa is a strategic partner of the United States, with strong
collaboration in the areas of health, education, environment, and digital economy. South Africa is the
largest U.S. trade partner in Africa. Meanwhile US assists South Africa in areas that include healthcare,
education, agriculture and clean energy.

Foreign Policy:

Nelson Mandela (1994 – 1999): South Africa emerged from decades of international isolation due to the
apartheid policies. South Africa felt morally obliged to help secure universal adherence to basic human
rights, to help ensure that people are not threatened by oppressive rule. The pillars upon which Nelson
Mandela declared South Africa's foreign policy would rest were the following: promoting human rights
and democracy worldwide with the belief that justice and respect for international law should guide the
relations between nations. Meanwhile seeking regional and international economic cooperation in an
interdependent world. Hence, we can say that foreign policy in this ear was based on the liberal agenda
promoted by the West.

Thabo Mbeki (1999 – 2008): Internationally foreign policy in this period rested upon the promotion of
African history and culture, advancing the African agenda in the international community (IMF, WB,
WTO…), advocacy for African solutions for African problems and most importantly a position of Western
meddling in the affairs of African states. Meanwhile regionally South Africa sought to promote itself as a
regional power through trade and institutional reform, establishing the African Union (AU).

Jacob Zuma (2008 - 2017): Foreign policy was based on closer alignment with the BRICS, economic and
trade rapprochement with China, political rapprochement with Russia ‘’the new darling of SA’’. An
idealization of China and the “global South”, anti-western skepticism which led to strained diplomatic
and trade relations with the US and deteriorated relation with the UK .

Challenges
 Low level of economic growth (4% in the IMF’s latest estimates)
 High levels of unemployment (over 30%)
 South Africa's Gross Domestic Product has declined to roughly $283 billion in 2020.
 A shortage of skilled workers for some high-tech industries, political instability, and corruption. I
 South Africa core military capabilities “have been in decline for many years”
 Brazil and South Africa respective relationship is tainted by failure to cooperate in restructuring
the global financial architecture. For instance, they did not agree on a candidate for the
leadership of the IMF (as opposed to Europe-backed Christine Lagarde).
 Compared with the other BRICS countries, South Africa’s size, population, and economy are
quite small. “South Africa doesn’t belong in Brics,” said Jim O’Neill adding "In fact, South Africa’s
inclusion has somewhat weakened the group’s power"
 South Africa is losing out on investment to other rising economic stars on the continent.
Countries such as Nigeria.
 Many argue that South Africa is part of Brics because it suits the Chinese agenda, providing the
rise dragon with a gateway to a continent with the resources needed to feed its growing
population and energy needs.