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Indonesia’s Joko Widodo to attend Brics summit in South Africa amid expansion speculation
- The group consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa are divided over the expansion of the bloc by adding new members
- The bloc seeks to tame Western economic domination in global affairs, represents 23 per cent of the world’s GDP and 42 per cent of its population
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Indonesian President Joko Widodo departed for South Africa on Sunday to attend the Brics summit in Johannesburg amid speculation that the country could join the group as its latest member.
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The meeting, which brings together major emerging economies countries led by Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, will be held for three days starting on Tuesday.
“Indonesia has been invited to the Brics summit and of course in between the Brics summit there will be meetings with other world leaders,” Widodo told reporters ahead of his departure.
The trip is Widodo’s first to Africa as leader of Southeast Asia’s biggest economy.
He said earlier in the week that his government had not decided whether Indonesia would join Brics.
The group, formally launched in 2009, seeks to tame Western economic domination in global affairs.
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It represents 23 per cent of the world’s gross domestic product and 42 per cent of the world’s population.
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