Illustration: Liu Rui/ GT

On the first day of 2025, nine countries - Belarus, Bolivia, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Thailand, Cuba, Uganda, Malaysia and Uzbekistan - officially became BRICS partners. This marks another milestone in the development of BRICS, following the historic expansion of the group. 

With the growing of greater BRICS, the group not only gains stronger presence in economics but also plays an increasingly pivotal role in advancing the creation of a multipolar world. 

Wang Youming, director of the Institute of Developing Countries at the China Institute of International Studies in Beijing, told Global Times that the inclusion of these nine countries as BRICS partners highlights the growing momentum of the global movement to reshape an unjust and inequitable international order, particularly in the wake of the collective rise of the Global South.

In response to the expanding BRICS family, some Western media outlets have grown increasingly anxious, particularly after the BRICS Summit in Kazan. For instance, Voice of America claimed that "The BRICS meeting highlights geopolitical aspirations and rivalries with the West." For some time, certain Western media and politicians have assumed that the BRICS mechanism is aimed at confronting the West. In reality, this is not the case.

BRICS is a non-Western organization, but it is not an anti-Western one. From its inception, BRICS has clearly articulated its role and mission: not starting anew, not engaging in camp confrontation, and not seeking to replace anyone. Its model of multilateral cooperation avoids zero-sum games between major powers and offers a more inclusive paradigm for international relations. It is this inclusivity that has prompted many countries from the Global South to rush to apply for membership in the BRICS family.

The driving force behind BRICS' development is the escalating demand from developing countries for a fairer, more just international order. In recent decades, the world has increasingly borne the weight of the hegemonic actions of Western powers. In sharp contrast, BRICS nations have not only achieved remarkable progress in their own development but also thrived through collaboration, all while championing the shift toward a multipolar global system. 

Currently, with geopolitical risks continuing to rise, BRICS partners provide Global South countries with a more inclusive, flexible, and resilient alternative. BRICS not only offers economic cooperation opportunities but also creates a platform for developing countries to have a voice and engage in global governance reform. Through the BRICS platform, the Global South can free itself from the traditional geopolitical pressure of "taking sides" and pursue greater autonomy in a multipolar world.

Some Western media outlets blame the risk of global division on the expansion of BRICS, suggesting that countries have to choose between joining BRICS and cooperating with the West. They attempt to stigmatize BRICIS as an anti-West weapon. However, an increasing number of countries are recognizing that the BRICS mechanism isn't what Western media have portrayed it to be. 

BRICS has not followed the Western path of forming exclusive blocs; instead, it has carved out a new path of dialogue, not confrontation; partnership, not alignment.

Amid challenges within the current international system, the BRICS mechanism provides a promising platform for cooperation. By promoting inclusive development, advocating multilateralism, and reforming the global governance system, BRICS countries and their partners have made significant contributions to shaping a fairer international order. While this process faces numerous complex constraints, its prospects undoubtedly bring hope for the creation of a multipolar world.