U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that any country aligning itself with what he termed the anti-American policies of the BRICS group will face an additional 10 percent tariff imposed by the United States. This statement was issued as BRICS leaders convened their summit in Brazil on Sunday.
Forums such as the G7 and G20 have been experiencing internal divisions and difficulties, partly due to Trump’s “America First” policy. In contrast, BRICS has positioned itself as a platform for multilateral diplomacy amid trade wars and global conflicts.
“Any country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS, will be charged an ADDITIONAL 10% tariff. There will be no exceptions to this policy,” Trump wrote on social media.
Trump did not specify in his post which policies he considers to be anti-American.
Meanwhile in a joint statement issued at the opening of the BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro, the group expressed concern over threats to the global trade system, noting that rising tariffs are harming international trade. This was widely interpreted as an implicit criticism of Trump’s policies.
At the summit’s opening, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stated that BRICS has become the successor to the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). He asserted that the multilateral system is under attack and that their sovereignty is once again at risk.
Lula da Silva noted that BRICS represents half of the world’s population and 40 percent of the global economy, and called for reforms in international institutions such as the United Nations and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
This year, Chinese President Xi Jinping did not attend in person and was represented by his prime minister. Russian President Vladimir Putin participated via video link due to an International Criminal Court warrant related to the war in Ukraine.
The BRICS communiqué labeled the attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities as a violation of international law and referred to the attack in Indian-administered Kashmir as a terrorist incident.
The group also expressed “deep concern” over Israeli assaults on Palestinians and endorsed the accession of Iran and Ethiopia to the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Under its development bank, BRICS approved a new Multilateral Guarantee Initiative aimed at promoting investment within member states.
Regarding artificial intelligence, the leaders emphasized the need to prevent unauthorized data use and to establish transparent payment systems.
Brazil, which will host the United Nations Climate Conference in November, described the summit as an opportunity to highlight the environmental efforts of developing countries. In contrast, Trump has curtailed several American environmental initiatives.
Sources indicated that China and the UAE expressed interest in investing in the “Tropical Forest Forever” fund during a meeting with Brazil’s finance minister in Rio, a fund aimed at protecting endangered forests around the world.
