The Latest on Southeast Asia: Indonesia joins BRICS

Photo: MOHD RASFAN/AFP/Getty Images
On January 7, Indonesia became the first Southeast Asian nation to formally join BRICS, an intergovernmental bloc consisting of countries from the Global South. BRICS was formed in 2009 by Brazil, Russia, India, and China, with South Africa joining one year later. The bloc recently opened for expansion, accepting additional members Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates in 2024. President Prabowo Subianto prioritized joining BRICS shortly after entering office in October, with Indonesia initially being one of 13 countries invited to become a BRICS partner country, alongside Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. While endorsed by BRICS leaders to join in 2023, then-Indonesian president Joko Widodo was hesitant to join, fearing it would jeopardize Indonesia’s non-alignment policy.
In a statement by Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Indonesia described their BRICS membership as a “strategic step to improve the collaboration and cooperation with other developing nations, based on the principle of equality, mutual respect, and sustainable development.” In 2024, Indonesia’s trade with BRICS nations totaled to approximately $150 billion USD, with their top exports being palm oil, coal and natural gas, and rubber. Indonesia is already considering increasing trade with BRICS nations, most notably by importing oil from Russia.
Most criticism toward Indonesia’s BRICS membership fear that the bloc will steer Indonesia away from their non-alignment principle, favoring China and Russia. Indonesian foreign minister Sugiono defended Indonesia’s admission into BRICS, claiming their membership is “an embodiment of Indonesia’s independent and active foreign policy,” and that it strives to “bridge the interests of developing countries and the Indo-Pacific region.” To further maintain their non-alignment, Sugiono has also expressed Indonesia’s interest in concurrently joining the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD,) featuring Western countries including the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
While the first to join BRICS out of its Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) counterparts, Indonesia is not the only country in the region interested in joining the bloc. Both Malaysia and Thailand have begun their process to join BRICS, with Malaysian prime minister Anwar Ibrahim visiting India in August last year to seek India’s endorsement of joining the bloc. Similar to Indonesia, Thailand is jointly pursuing BRICS and OECD membership to safeguard their neutrality toward the West and the Global South. Vietnam, while invited to join BRICS as a partner country, has remained reticent of joining the bloc, wary of how the incoming Trump administration will view BRICS as an organization. Only time will tell how the Trump administration will impact Southeast Asian nations’ balancing act between the West and Global South.
Lauren Mai is a Program Coordinator and Research Assistant for the Southeast Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C.
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