Malaysia and Thailand keen to join BRICS: 5 things to know

KUALA LUMPUR -- Two Southeast Asian nations, Malaysia and Thailand, have recently revealed their plans to join the BRICS grouping of emerging nations as middle power countries seek to maneuver amid growing geopolitical uncertainties, including the U.S.-China tensions.

What would their BRICS membership mean? Will their neighbors follow? Here are five things to know:

 What kind of organization is BRICS?

BRICS, an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, was launched in 2009 as BRIC and later renamed BRICS in 2010 when South Africa joined the group. It was formed to foster economic, political and cultural cooperation among its members. Compared to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the group operates without a formal charter or secretariat -- akin to an informal group that meets annually to allow for flexibility and prompt responses to global challenges. Alicia Garcia-Herrero, a senior research fellow at the Brussels-based think tank Bruegel, argued in her article on the East Asia Forum that at the start of the group's formation, China dominated the bloc, and most of the growth in trade has been China-centric. However, the recent increase, mostly driven by India, has "experienced an acceleration in economic growth" of the group. The five countries combined accounted for gross domestic product of $25.8 trillion last year, or about a quarter of the global total, whereas Group of Seven (G7) developed nations had a combined $46.8 trillion.

Why do Malaysia and Thailand want to join?

Participation in BRICS would foster economic cooperation with peer emerging economies, such as trade and investment. In addition, Malaysia views this as an opportunity to engage in rising multilateralism, according to Hoo Chiew Ping, a senior fellow at the East Asian International Relations Caucus. She said joining BRICS would "[support] a multipolar world order rather than being drawn into a new Cold War centered on the U.S.-China rivalry." Thailand has said a BRICS membership would enhance Thailand's role as a leader among emerging countries. A foreign ministry spokesperson told reporters last week that the country wants to "play more roles, promoting Thai potentials to co-play the roles with developed nations and underdeveloped nations to provide guidelines for global community development to promote justice and equality," adding that being a BRICS member does not mean Thailand is taking sides.

Will other countries in Southeast Asia follow?

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said earlier this year that Jakarta was still assessing the benefits of joining BRICS. This follows President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's attendance at the BRICS summit in South Africa in August last year, during which he called for stronger cooperation among developing nations to fight "trade discrimination." Jokowi told reporters afterward that despite Indonesia's good economic relationships with the group's members, "we don't want to rush" joining the bloc. Observers describe Indonesia's reluctance to join BRICS as a desire to avoid being seen as too close to China, already its biggest source of foreign direct investment and trading partner in recent years. China has also been the biggest trading partner to most ASEAN countries in the past decade. This is amid Indonesia's ambition to join the OECD instead. The rich-country club opened accession discussions with Indonesia in February that, if realized, will make it the first OECD member from Southeast Asia. Rahul Mishra, an associate professor at the Center for Indo-Pacific Studies of Jawaharlal Nehru University, said that Malaysia's and Thailand's moves will motivate Indonesia to revive its BRICS plans. "Vietnam could be the next member, and a bigger BRICS would mean a collective of more voices from the Global South," he added. Vietnam sent a delegation to attend the BRICS Dialogue with Developing Countries in Russia's Nizhny Novgorod this month. The country is watching the BRICS expansion but has not made any comments on joining the bloc. Thailand and Laos took part in the forum as well.

What would Thailand's and Malaysia's BRICS memberships mean for Southeast Asia?

The shift could put a strain on the unity and centrality of Southeast Asia's own multilateral framework, ASEAN, and the Southeast Asian bloc needs to adapt to remain relevant as its members explore other alignments, experts say. "It is high time for ASEAN to prepare the necessary, to complement the appetite of its member states in bolstering action and crafting solutions, in which ASEAN seems to be counterproductive," said Fikry A Rahman, the head of foreign affairs at Malaysia's research institute Bait Al-Amanah. Fikry said that ASEAN will continue to take center stage for Southeast Asia, and its members will not undermine the values, although he also pointed out that the nature of the Southeast Asian bloc limits its role in serving regional goals.

What does a bigger BRICS mean for the world?

The expansion of BRICS would amplify the voice of the Global South and point to a further disparity of a more polarized world. In January 2024, BRICS expanded its membership to include more prominent Global South countries: Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with more countries potentially joining the group. "The expanded BRICS membership is a direct response to heightened bipolar rivalry, which has significantly increased global geopolitical uncertainties," Hoo said, highlighting how middle powers maneuver amid the tension between superpowers. However, Hoo cautioned that the inclusion of more countries, especially with Russia's involvement in the grouping, could send a problematic signal to the U.S. and its allies, as membership can be viewed as adversarial to Western interests and values.