Brics not a counterpoint to G7: Lula
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Tuesday the Brics group of emerging countries is not meant to challenge other international coalitions, such as the G7 or the United States, but to "organise" the so-called Global South. "We do not want to be a counterpoint to the G7, G20 or the United States," Lula said in a live broadcast on social media as he attends the Brics summit in South Africa.  "We just want to organise ourselves." The Brazilian leader again defended a common trading currency for Brics countries, saying the move would not be aimed at "rejecting" the US dollar but instead facilitating trade between the emerging nations in their own currencies. He said he supported other countries joining Brics – currently made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – but with certain conditions, "so it does not become a Tower of Babel." "We want Brics to be a multilateral institution, not an exclusive club," Lula said, adding he was particularly in favour of Argentina joining the group. More than 40 countries have expressed interest in joining Brics, according to South African officials. President Xi Jinping, who's also in South Africa attending the Brics summit, said on Tuesday that he is willing to work with his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa, to push China-South Africa comprehensive strategic partnership to a new level. Xi made the remarks in a meeting with Ramaphosa after arriving on Monday for a state visit to South Africa, where he will also co-chair with Ramaphosa the China-Africa Leaders' Dialogue. The key, Xi said, to the good relations between China and South Africa and their deep friendship lies in the fact that the two countries and the two parties share weal and woe on their respective development paths and have forged a profound friendship. (Xinhua/Reuters)