China Ready To Strengthen Ties to Brazil and ‘Join Hands With BRICS Countries To Resist Unilateralism,’ Says CCP Foreign Minister

China wants to strengthen its ties to Brazil and other member countries in the BRICS economic alliance.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had a phone call with Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira on Thursday to discuss the importance of “practical cooperation in various fields between the two countries,” per a recap of the conversation from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Wang noted that China is “ready to strengthen coordination with Brazil, join hands with BRICS countries to resist unilateralism and bullying acts, safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries, and promote the reform and improvement of the global governance system.”

BRICS held its first summit in 2009 and was originally known as BRIC, representing its four founding members: Brazil, Russia, India, and China. The acronym became BRICS after South Africa joined the group in 2010.

In 2024, it expanded its membership to other nations, including Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates. Indonesia joined in early 2025.

Brazil, the current presidency of the group, also claims that Saudi Arabia is part of the bloc, but the Middle Eastern country has reportedly eschewed formal membership in the intercontinental economic alliance to avoid antagonizing the US.

The bloc also includes 10 “partner countries,” including Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. Partner countries aren’t full-fledged members but are invited to participate in the BRICS summit and can endorse the alliance’s declarations.

Brazil says current BRICS priorities include “facilitating economic transactions between bloc countries, such as the use of local currencies; the development of international payment platforms; cooperation in government procurement; and the promotion of trade facilitation measures, among others.”

In 2023, the alliance reportedly began working on creating a common currency backed by gold and potentially additional precious metals and assets to circumvent international reliance on the US dollar, though officials from several of the bloc’s member countries claimed earlier this year that they weren’t pushing for de-dollarization.