Meeting in Brazil, Brics foreign ministers fail to issue joint statement

The foreign ministers of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa and others in a forum that excludes the United States will criticise unilateral protectionist measures and call for a renewed defence of the multilateral trading system, reflecting mounting international concern over US President Donald Trump’s aggressive trade policies.

Officials representing the group known as Brics gathered in Rio de Janeiro for two days, and will express in their joint statement “serious concern” over the rise of “unjustified unilateral protectionist measures” that they say violate World Trade Organization rules.

These transgressions, they say, include the indiscriminate implementation of tariffs and the misuse of environmental standards to create trade barriers, according to a draft seen by the Post. The document warns that such actions threaten to destabilise global supply chains and fuel greater uncertainty across the world economy.

Details of the draft were first reported by Brazilian newspaper Folha de S. Paulo.

The language aligns with the group’s long-standing support for multilateralism, and comes at a time of heightened trade tensions following Trump’s so-called “reciprocal” tariffs, which were paused for 90 days shortly after implementation earlier this month. Many of the punitive levies remain in effect on imports from China.

Brics officials, speaking privately, said yesterday that the final draft would criticise these moves without adopting a directly confrontational tone, in an effort to maintain the bloc’s image as a stabilising force rather than an oppositional alliance.

  

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