Starting Tuesday, leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa will meet in Johannesburg for the 15th Brics summit. Among other things, they are expected to discuss the prospects of 40 nations who have shown interest in joining the league of major emerging economies.
Evidence of their rising clout is the growing share in the global merchandise export market. It was at 20 per cent in 2022 compared to 5 per cent in 1992. They also account for a quarter of the world’s economy (charts 1, 2).
China plays a large role in both these