There is intense diplomatic activity underway among major BRICS member nations in response to President Donald Trump’s aggressive crypto-tariff policy, which has included slamming 50% tariffs on Indian and Brazilian exports to the United States, as well as threats to China and India to stop purchasing Russian oil. The entire policy shows all the signs of backfiring, as the BRICS nations are drawing closer together to map out counter-strategies.
Recent BRICS diplomatic activity includes:
Aug. 6: Brazil-BRICS. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva told Reuters that he will be discussing with other BRICS nations a response to Trump’s tariff war, noting he will first speak with China’s Xi Jinping and India’s Narendra Modi, followed by other leaders. “I’m going to try to discuss with them about how each one is doing in this situation, what the implications are for each country, so we can make a decision…. There is no coordination among the BRICS yet, but there will be.”
Aug. 6: China-Brazil. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi assured Celso Amorim, President Lula da Silva’s Special Foreign Policy Advisor, that China “firmly supports Brazil in defending its national sovereignty and dignity and opposes unwarranted external interference in Brazil’s internal affairs,” when the two spoke by telephone. Wang also gave China’s “firm support” to Brazil’s measures “safeguarding its own development rights and interests and resisting the bullying practice of abusive tariffs,” and to Brazil’s efforts to “consolidate solidarity and cooperation in the Global South through the BRICS mechanism and promoting the joint self-reliance of developing countries.”
Aug. 7: Brazil-India. Brazilian President Lula da Silva and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke by phone for one hour, with both leaders reaffirming the importance of “defending multilateralism and the need to confront current global challenges,” while exploring deeper integration between the two nations, according to a statement issued by the Brazilian government.
Aug. 7: China-India. Chinese Ambassador to India Xu Feihong backed India against the Trump tariffs, posting on X: “Give the bully an inch, he will take a mile.” He also quoted Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s earlier discussion with Brazil’s Celso Amorim: “Using tariffs as a weapon to suppress other countries violates the UN Charter, undermines WTO rules and is both unpopular and unsustainable.”
