The national flags of the five BRICS countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (Photo: Reuters).
Saudi Arabia's state television reported on January 2nd that the kingdom has officially joined the BRICS bloc.
Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan said in August that the Middle Eastern nation would study the details before the proposed accession date of January 1 and make an "appropriate decision".
Farhan once stated that the BRICS group is "a beneficial and important channel" for enhancing economic cooperation.
The BRICS bloc previously comprised Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, but is expected to double in size in the near future. In addition to Saudi Arabia, BRICS plans to include the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Iran, and Ethiopia.
Saudi Arabia's accession to BRICS comes amid rising geopolitical tensions between the US and China. Beijing is also seen as seeking to expand its influence in the Middle East in general.
Despite its strong relationship with the US, Saudi Arabia continues to pursue its own path, fearing that Washington is less committed to Gulf security than before.
China, Saudi Arabia's largest oil customer, has called for BRICS to expand to become a counterweight to the West. Despite Argentina signaling its unwillingness to join BRICS, the expansion of the bloc is seen as helping emerging economies compete for influence with the West.
Before Saudi Arabia joined, the five BRICS countries had a combined area of over 39.7 million square kilometers and a total population of 3.21 billion people, equivalent to more than 26.6% of the world's land area and 41.53% of the world's population.
The common characteristics of the BRICS countries are their large populations, vast land areas, and significant military capabilities. They are also strong emerging economies, with the combined GDP of their members consistently growing steadily over the past decades and projected to increase significantly in the coming years.
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