Brics leaders call for cooperation in protectionist global environment

Unilateral tariff actions contribute to a protectionist environment, which poses hardships and danger for the countries of the Global South, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday.

- Nkateko Joseph Mabasa

This requires Brics members to improve the resilience of their economies and strengthen the global multilateral system, he said.

Ramaphosa told a virtual summit of Brics leaders that the seismic shift from a unipolar to a multipolar world has been increasingly marked by geopolitical tensions and “intensifying global competition”.

He spoke as South Africa and several other countries grappled with the negative effect of punitive tariffs levied by President Donald Trump on United States imports, a move he says is intended to protect American manufacturers and jobs.

“The uncertainty of the new trading regime has already negatively affected employment levels in my own country South Africa and is an obstacle to our economic growth,” Ramaphosa said.

“We are therefore supportive of meaningful Brics initiatives that improve the resilience of our economies as Brics countries and those of the Global South and also strengthen the global multilateral system.”