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Brics

Brics
Brics (an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) refers to an association of 10 leading emerging markets. The other member states are Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (at centre microphone) speaks during a Brics meeting in Brasília in February. The South American country holds the bloc’s rotating presidency in 2025. Photo: dpa
US-China relations

Brics countries eye mechanism to help global economy: Brazilian official

Plan would follow World Bank agency’s guarantee model and help developing nations lure foreign direct investment amid Trump’s US tariffs.

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Diplomacy

Opinion | Will Trump’s chaos galvanise the Global South?

Indonesia

From Bandung to Brics: Indonesia’s evolving quest for Global South autonomy

China trade

Brazil briefly has trade deficit with China before ending quarter with surplus

The deficit, which hit $3.2 billion in February, is largely attributed to surge in Chinese imports, including solar panels.

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Electric vehicles produced by the Chinese car maker BYD unloaded at a port in Espiritu Santo, Brazil, on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters
Diplomacy

Opinion | As US retreats, Asian powers can reshape world order to meet their needs

Global South countries, tired of bearing the costs of globalisation, are asserting their economic visions.

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US-China trade war

China, Brazil to discuss farm exports amid US tariff escalation with Beijing

Agriculture officials from the nations gather as US-China tariff wars prioritise Beijing’s need for alternative sources of soybean and beef.

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United States

Macroscope | Trump is crashing the global system that crowned the dollar king

Tariff shock, loss of confidence in the dollar, stock market trauma and a widespread feeling of affront will only quicken de-dollarisation.

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US President Donald Trump signs an executive order as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (second from right) and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick look on in the Oval Office of the White House on April 9. Photo: AFP
India

Opinion | How India’s diplomatic gamble with the US failed to pay off

The Trump administration has not spared India from tariff war escalations, and New Delhi is struggling to hedge beyond the US.

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China economy

Opinion | Trump’s targeting of China will only spur its economic recovery

Trump’s policies are repelling nations and academics, helping China deepen trading ties and attract talent even as the US heads towards recession.

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Banking & finance

Macroscope | World is ready to cut US dollar down to size – but not too quickly

The US dollar is too central to the global financial system for the so-called Mar-a-Lago Accord to find traction outside the US. But the search is on for alternatives.

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There has been talk of a new Plaza-type accord to depreciate the US dollar and ensure US export competitiveness. Photo: Shutterstock
United States

Opinion | Only a global ‘de-risking’ from the US can stop Trump’s trade war

A unified response is essential. Operating independently would only play to Trump’s advantage, and render nations vulnerable to his bullying.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Business of climate change

Brazil criticises developed countries for ‘no interest’ in helping others

Energy minister makes comments in the run-up to a meeting of Brics energy ministers in Brazil’s capital.

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Donald Trump

‘De-dollar’ diplomacy: Brics focus on alternative currency stirs Trump’s ire

What Trump threats against challenging the US dollar’s global primacy could mean for the future of Brics and its member nations.

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US-China relations

Opinion | The US-China Thucydides Trap is by no means a foregone conclusion

Instead, it’s a call to action. From helping mediate in Ukraine to investing in the US, China may yet defy historical negative trends.

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China and US national flags fly outside a souvenir shop in Beijing on January 31. Photo: AP

Not anti-western but ‘non-Western’: Brics urged to jointly face external shocks

Global South grouping just seeks ‘just and reasonable post-Western order’, Shanghai Institutes for International Studies report says.

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The initial Brics grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa has grown to 10 members. Photo: AP
China-India relations

Brics nations divide on US dollar replacement with India declaring ‘no interest’

Bloc ‘has not formed a unified position’ on proposals to end reliance on the currency.

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US-China relations

Opinion | Trump a bigger threat to US dollar than China, ex-senior economics officials say

White House brings ‘budgetary chaos with extraordinary speed’, potentially triggering a fiscal crisis and run on US Treasuries market.

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US-China relations

Editorial | Wang offers stability to world at time of growing uncertainty

Foreign minister makes it clear China is a responsible power, champion of the global order and willing to cooperate against risks.

China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, said at a news conference that China was a stabilising force in the world. Photo: Kyodo
Diplomacy

Opinion | China is ready to be an anchor in a brave new multipolar world

What seems clear from Munich Security Conference talk is an evolution towards a pluralistic world order. We need an effective governance framework.

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US-China relations

Brics more relevant than ever, summit host Brazil says amid Trump tariff threats

The best response for ‘the crisis of multilateralism is more multilateralism’, according to Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira.

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DeepSeek

How DeepSeek could give China the soft power edge it’s looking for

If DeepSeek is cheaper alternative ‘it is possible that AI development and adoption in the Global South could take a Chinese turn’: analyst.

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DeepSeek’s cost-effective model and open-source nature could offer developers overseas the ability to build new products on DeepSeek models at lower cost, analysts say. Image: Reuters
Brazil

Brics summit to tackle AI governance, global health and financial reform: Brazil

Note from bloc’s chair this year reflects plan to promote equitable global governance rather than control by ‘just big corporations’.

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Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will lead the next annual Brics summit in July. Photo: Reuters
The Philippines

Brics beckons: would the Philippines joining mend its ties with China?

A senator is urging Manila to join the bloc and adopt a more balanced foreign policy amid the ‘inevitable’ march to a more multipolar world.

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US-China relations

Why Panama’s belt and road exit is just the start of Trump’s ‘weak link’ plan

Instead of direct confrontation, the US may target frameworks involving China, such as Brics, to preserve its global power, say analysts.

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US-China relations

Opinion | How Trump is creating a more peaceful and cooperative multipolar world

While Trump escalates tensions with friends and foes alike, global realities could force his hand towards cooperation.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
China-India relations

China and India agree to resume direct flights and deepen river cooperation

After Sun Weidong and Vikram Misri meet in Beijing, Asian neighbours say they will negotiate to resume Indian pilgrimages to Tibet.

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Talks held under a foreign secretary-vice minister mechanism in Beijing have seen the two sides pledge to strengthen strategic communication and deepen mutual trust. Photo: Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Donald Trump

Opinion | Trump’s America will be forced to grapple with a rising Brics

Brics has become an alternative power base outside the reach of the US and its allies, and a rising counterweight to US influence globally.

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Technology

Opinion | In the global marathon for tech supremacy, Brics’ size matters

Collaborative, flexible Brics gives leading members China and Russia a significant advantage over the increasingly defensive and restrictive West.

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