BRICS expansion a boon for ASEAN

Indonesia's formal application to join BRICS, confirmed recently by Indonesia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Roy Soemirat, highlights the bloc's increasing appeal among emerging economies.

In the 15 years since its first summit in Yekaterinburg, Russia, BRICS has overcome huge internal differences and external challenges to play a vital role in global trade, development, investment and financing. It has become a significant force for promoting good global governance, improving the world order, and uniting the countries of the Global South to address common global challenges.

As such, BRICS has a huge appeal among ASEAN member states. While Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia have officially applied to join BRICS, Cambodia and Myanmar have expressed their desire to become observer states, with Vietnam and Laos showing varying degrees of interest in joining the grouping.