BRICS grows stronger through shared agenda for development: S Africa scholar

BRICS has been able to grow over the past two decades by building a shared agenda that helps manage differences and offers a vital development platform for the Global South, according to Busani Ngcaweni, director of the Center for Public Policy and African Studies at the University of Johannesburg.

The 18th BRICS Summit is set to take place in the Indian capital on September 12-13, bringing together leaders from member and partner countries as well as invited guests.

Launched in 2009 by Brazil, Russia, India and China, the group has since grown to 11 full members and 10 partner countries. South Africa joined in 2010, becoming the bloc's first African member.

In an interview with the China Global Television (CGTN), Ngcaweni said the group's staying power lies in the common agenda its members have built.

"It is important to ask the question – what has sustained BRICS for 20 years? Why have these countries, despite differences within these countries, and differences sometimes amongst these countries, they have been able to stay together? That is because, which is a remarkable achievement, the BRICS has been able to build common cause," he said.

"They've been able to identify an agenda against which differences between BRICS countries can be managed, can be bridged. They've been able to manage contradictions between these countries and stay on the same agenda of searching for opportunities to advance economic and human development. This is a very remarkable thing," said Ngcaweni.

Asked what a growing BRICS means for the Global South, Ngcaweni highlighted the positive impact of the financing brought through the New Development Bank, the grouping's Shanghai-based lender, and the hope its development focus brings to other countries.

"One, through the bank, it has been able to expand possibilities of sources of finance that can be used for industrial and infrastructure development. Secondly, because of what is the strategic focus of BRICS, which is cooperation at a human level, cooperation at the economic level, it means countries would know that there are very powerful countries that can meet and that their primary concern is not hegemony, is not defense, but their primary concern is human development. This is useful because it brings hope [to] the countries who want to join the bank or the countries who wish to trade more with BRICS countries, with China and so on," the scholar said.

BRICS grows stronger through shared agenda for development: S Africa scholar

As the lingering U.S.-Iran conflict over the Strait of Hormuz disrupts global oil and gas supply, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum's energy ministers met in Beijing Thursday to chart a way forward, on whether the region can turn the crisis into opportunities.

The disruption of the Strait of Hormuz since late February 2026 has caused the largest oil supply shock on record, with ongoing daily shortfalls in the multi-million-barrel range. This energy supply shock has exposed the structural vulnerabilities of the Asia-Pacific region, the world's largest energy-consuming area.

As the APEC host this year, China has taken an open and inclusive approach, creating a multilateral dialogue platform. At the current energy ministerial meeting, it is pushing for a full exchange of practical experience among economies and channeling shared wisdom into real cooperative results.

"Since the beginning of this year, navigation through the Strait of Hormuz has been disrupted. China has fully leveraged its energy production, supply and marketing system, actively strengthened cooperation with all other parties, and made important contributions to safeguarding global energy security," said Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang in addressing the meeting.

The APEC Energy Ministerial Meeting, returning to Beijing after a 12-year hiatus, took place at a critical juncture following this "stress test."

"From our end in Papua New Guinea, we face the impacts of the war in Iran. We are an import-based economy. It did affect us in a great way," said Conrad Kumul, a delegate from Papua New Guinea, on the sidelines of the meeting.

Yet, many see that crises can also serve as catalysts for energy transition.

"The idea now is to push very much forward with the energy transition, even more than before. Now actually, the oil prices are so high that the comparatively renewable energies are very low in price," said Steivan Defilla, president assistant of the APEC Sustainable Energy Center, a high-level international energy think tank led by China's National Energy Administration.

China will hold the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, in November, which marks the country's third time hosting the event following Shanghai in 2001 and Beijing in 2014.

APEC ministers explore new pathways for energy security amid Hormuz crisis