As President Donald Trump warned that the United States would impose an additional 10 per cent tariff on any country which aligns itself with the “anti-American policies of BRICS”, at least three members of the grouping — China, Russia and South Africa — responded sharply on Monday.
Trump’s comments came after the BRICS declaration on Sunday, in an oblique reference to the US, raised “serious concerns” about the rise in tariffs, which, it said, were “inconsistent with WTO (World Trade Organisation) rules” and “threaten to reduce global trade, disrupt global supply chains and introduce uncertainty.”
BRICS leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, are in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro for a two-day summit on July 6-7.
Hours later, in a post on Truth Social, Trump said: “Any country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS, will be charged an additional 10% tariff. There will be no exceptions to this policy”. He did not clarify or expand on the “Anti-American policies” reference in his post.
BRICS, originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, expanded in 2024 to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates, with Indonesia joining in 2025.
China said BRICS is not a bloc for confrontation and does not target any third country. “BRICS is an important platform for cooperation among emerging markets and developing countries,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a media briefing in Beijing.
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“It advocates openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation. It is not a bloc for confrontation. Nor does it target any country,” Mao said. Referring to Trump’s tariff hike threats, she said China has made its position clear. “Trade war and tariff war have no winners,” she said.
Russia said the BRICS group does not seek to undermine other countries. “We have indeed seen such statements by President Trump, but it is very important to note here that the uniqueness of a group like BRICS is that it is a group of countries that share common approaches and a common world view on how to cooperate, based on their own interests,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. “And this cooperation within BRICS has never been, and will never be, directed against any third countries,” Peskov said.
South Africa’s foreign ministry spokesperson said the BRICS group should be seen as a push for “reformed multilateralism, nothing more”.
“BRICS objectives are primarily about creating a more balanced and inclusive global order that better reflects the economic and political realities of the 21st century,” South African foreign ministry spokesperson Chrispin Phiri told Reuters.
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In his address at the summit before Trump’s comments, Modi said: “Our confidence in the diversity and multipolarity of the BRICS group is our greatest strength. Today, as the world order faces pressures from all sides, and the world is going through many challenges and uncertainties, the increasing relevance and influence of BRICS is natural. We should together consider how BRICS can become a guide for the multipolar world in the times to come.”
Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who hosted the summit, also criticised NATO’s decision to hike military spending by 5 per cent of GDP annually by 2035.
