The president of the United States, Donald Trump, warned that he would impose an additional 10% tariff on any country that supports the policies of the BRICS group, considered an emerging geopolitical bloc originally composed of Brazil, Russia, India, and China, to which countries such as South Africa, Egypt, and Iran have joined, among others. The threat arises in the context of the group's summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where its leaders have gathered to debate issues such as reform of the global governance system and alternatives to the IMF. Despite the absence of Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, the meeting seeks to strengthen multilateralism and represents almost half of the world's population and 40% of the global GDP.
Trump's statements have been openly rejected by China and Russia. Beijing questions the effectiveness of tariffs as an economic measure, while Russia defends BRICS cooperation as not directed against other nations. At the summit, the Brazilian president Lula da Silva highlighted the relevance of the group in the current context of global tensions, comparing it with the Non-Aligned Movement of the Cold War. The expansion of the BRICS seeks to consolidate its influence in global diplomacy, presenting itself as a counterweight to deadlocked forums such as the G-7 and the G-20, and strengthening its commitment to crucial issues such as climate change, at a time when the United States has adopted more rigid positions under the Trump administration.
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