Africa (Commonwealth Union) _ South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called his BRICS counterparts into action to stand together against broadening international trade shifts that were impacting emerging economies the most. In a virtual summit of leaders hosted by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Monday, Ramaphosa clarified that the current upsurge of unilateral tariff actions by major countries was further worsening economic uncertainty for the Global South.
Although he did not mention the United States, his message was clear. Washington imposed high tariffs recently on China and other developing nations, with the BRICS nations being at the receiving end: Brazil was subjected to up to 50 percent tariffs, while South Africa now suffers from a 30 percent tariff. Ramaphosa warned that such action is already destabilizing South Africa’s growth prospects and shedding jobs at a time when the country is trying to boost investment and employment.
“The dynamism and advancement of emerging economies is being undermined by disruption and chaos,” he said. “This crisis in global trade offers an excellent opportunity for us to do things differently.”
Ramaphosa put the current crisis in perspective as part of the transition from a unipolar to a multipolar world. He further stated that this is an era of growing geopolitical competition and that developing countries risk losing even more power unless they move in unison to guard their economic interests.
In his appeal, Ramaphosa repeated South Africa’s promise of reforms in the World Trade Organisation (WTO), saying this would be required to restore balance and justice in the international system of trade. He extended an invitation to the other BRICS nations, Brazil, Russia, India, and China, to unite with South Africa, asserting that their combined strength would enhance their negotiation and creation of a new global economic order.
For South Africa, the hikes in tariffs are a direct obstruction to economic rebounding, threatening exports, investment, and jobs for millions. For BRICS as a whole, they highlight how vulnerable emerging economies are to unilateral actions by wealthier nations.
Ramaphosa’s call is as much a question of principle as one of survival: defining an alternative path that shields developing economies from outside shocks while intensifying cooperation between the world’s rising powers.
