Tue Jan 07 05:16:34 IST 2025: ## Indonesia Joins BRICS, Expanding Bloc’s Global Influence

**Rio de Janeiro, Brazil –** Indonesia has officially become the newest member of the BRICS group of emerging economies, Brazil’s foreign ministry announced Monday. The addition of Southeast Asia’s largest nation further solidifies BRICS’s growing influence as a counterbalance to Western powers.

The decision, approved at the 2023 Johannesburg summit, reflects Indonesia’s shared commitment with existing members – Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa – to reforming global governance and fostering South-South cooperation. Indonesia’s accession follows the addition of Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the UAE last year, significantly expanding the bloc’s geographic reach and economic weight.

Brazil, which holds the BRICS presidency in 2025, stated that Indonesia’s alignment with the bloc’s goals of reforming multilateral institutions and promoting trade among developing nations was a key factor in its acceptance. Under President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Brazil is prioritizing the development of alternative payment systems to reduce reliance on the US dollar, a goal echoed by other BRICS members. Discussions at the November 2024 Kazan summit focused on boosting non-dollar transactions and strengthening local currencies, a move that reportedly drew threats of retaliatory tariffs from then US President-elect Donald Trump.

The upcoming BRICS summit, scheduled for July in Rio de Janeiro, is expected to further address these issues and chart the course for the expanded bloc’s future cooperation. Indonesia’s inclusion marks a significant step in BRICS’s ambition to reshape the global economic and political landscape.

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