China urges greater BRICS role as Western sanctions mount

China has urged the BRICS bloc of nations to take on greater responsibilities and establish itself as being inclusive to the world, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday, in the wake of Western sanctions and trade restrictions imposed on the country.

Many Chinese companies have faced Western sanctions over their support for Russia’s war in Ukraine, and the European Commission is set to announce tariffs this week on Chinese EVs in a bid to protect European carmakers.

This week, the Group of Seven wealthy democracies is expected to send a tough warning to smaller Chinese banks to stop helping Russia evade Western sanctions, Reuters reported, citing sources.

The politicisation of economic issues had grown along with unilateral sanctions and technological barriers, Wang said at a BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod, without naming any countries. His remarks were published by his ministry.

BRICS, which groups Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa and aims to counter Western dominance in the world order, has expanded by several more members after Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Iran and Ethiopia joined at the start of this year.

Wang said the expanded “BRICS” should build the bloc into “a new multilateral cooperation mechanism” driven by emerging markets and developing countries.

In a meeting with the Brazilian foreign minister Mauro Vieira on the sidelines of the bloc meeting, Wang said China was willing to work with Brazil to enable a greater role for BRICS in global governance and safeguarding the interests of developing countries.