10% tariffs are threatened by Trump against the BRICS for “anti-American policies.”
The leaders of the BRICS group of developing nations began a summit in Brazil on Sunday, and President Donald Trump declared that the US would impose an additional 10% tariff on any countries that align themselves with the “Anti-American policies” of the group.
BRICS is positioning itself as a refuge for multilateral diplomacy in the midst of violent conflicts and trade wars, while other forums, like the G7 and G20 groups of major economies, are stymied by divisions and the disruptive “America First” stance of the US president.
The group continued its covert criticism of Trump’s tariff policies in a joint statement issued Sunday afternoon from the opening of the BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro, warning that the increase in tariffs threatened global trade.
Trump threatened to punish nations that wanted to join the grouping hours later.
“Any nation that supports the BRICS’ anti-American policies will be subject to an additional 10% tariff. This policy will not be subject to exceptions. “I appreciate your consideration of this issue,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
The reference to “Anti-American policies” in Trump’s post was not explained or elaborated upon.
Before imposing large “retaliatory tariffs” on July 9, Trump’s administration is attempting to complete dozens of trade agreements with a variety of nations.
At its inaugural summit in 2009, the original BRICS group brought together leaders from Brazil, Russia, India, and China. Later, South Africa joined the bloc, and last year, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates joined as well.
According to sources, Saudi Arabia has not formally joined the BRICS, but another 30 countries have indicated interest in joining as partners or full members.
According to an official who spoke to Reuters, Airlangga Hartarto, Indonesia’s senior economic minister, is currently in Brazil for the BRICS summit and is expected to travel to the US on Monday to supervise tariff negotiations. A request for comment was not immediately answered by India’s foreign ministry.
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the president of Brazil, compared the summit to the Non-Aligned Movement during the Cold War, which was a group of developing countries that refused to align themselves with either side of a divided international order.
According to Lula, “BRICS is the heir to the Non-Aligned Movement,” leaders learned. “With multilateralism under attack, our autonomy is in check once again.”
In remarks to business leaders on Saturday, Lula warned of growing protectionism, pointing out that the BRICS countries now account for 40% of global economic output and more than half of the world’s population.
Increasing complexity of clout
Expansion of the bloc has added diplomatic weight to the gathering, which aspires to speak for developing nations across the Global South, strengthening calls for reforming global institutions such as the United Nations Security Council and the International Monetary Fund.
“If international governance does not reflect the new multipolar reality of the 21st century, it is up to BRICS to help bring it up to date,” Lula said in his remarks, which highlighted the failure of US-led wars in the Middle East.
Stealing some thunder from this year’s summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping chose to send his premier in his place. Due to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for his involvement in the war in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin is participating virtually.
Still, several heads of state were gathered for discussions at Rio’s Museum of Modern Art on Sunday and Monday, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
However, there are questions about the shared goals of an increasingly heterogeneous BRICS group, which has grown to include regional rivals along with major emerging economies.
In the joint statement, the leaders called attacks against Iran’s “civilian infrastructure and peaceful nuclear facilities” a “violation of international law.”
The group expressed “grave concern” for the Palestinian people over Israeli attacks on Gaza, and condemned what the joint statement called a “terrorist attack” in India-administered Kashmir.
The group voiced its support for Ethiopia and Iran to join the World Trade Organization, while calling to urgently restore its ability to resolve trade disputes.
The leaders’ joint statement backed plans to pilot a BRICS Multilateral Guarantees initiative within the group’s New Development Bank to lower financing costs and boost investment in member states.
In a separate statement following a discussion of artificial intelligence, the leaders called for protections against unauthorized use of AI to avoid excessive data collection and allow mechanisms for fair payment.
Brazil, which also hosts the United Nations climate summit in November, has seized on both gatherings to highlight how seriously developing nations are tackling climate change, while Trump has slammed the brakes on US climate initiatives.
China and the UAE signaled in meetings with Brazilian Finance Minister Fernando Haddad in Rio that they plan to invest in a proposed Tropical Forests Forever Facility, according to two sources with knowledge of the discussions about funding conservation of endangered forests around the world.
