BRICS: Friends with Economic Benefits
or Friends without Economic Benefits

By Dr. Hans Seesaghur, International Affairs Specialist

During the last 58 years, Mauritius’ external relations has been described in terms of friendships rather than through an articulated and comprehensive foreign policy doctrine. But in an increasingly competitive international environment, diplomatic friendship needs to be assessed not only by cordial relations, but also by access, influence and tangible economic opportunities. This is where BRICS becomes increasingly relevant. BRICS has expanded from its original five members into an eleven-country grouping, complemented by a separate partner-country framework. For Mauritius, therefore, the question is not which friends to choose, but whether its external relationship are generating sufficient economic benefits.

FROM EMERGING-ECONOMY CLUB TO GLOBAL SOUTH PLATFORM

BRICS has changed considerably since the first leaders’ summit in 2009. What began with Brazil, Russia, India and China, and later South Africa, has expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia. In addition, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam have become partner countries.

The transformation of BRICS should not be measured only by the number of countries involved. According to Indian government figures, the eleven members collectively account for approximately 49.5 percent of the world’s population, around 40 percent of global GDP and approximately 26 percent of global trade. The grouping also brings together major economies and important producers and consumers of energy, commodities, manufactured goods and services. Its agenda has progressively moved beyond political declarations towards cooperation in trade, finance, agriculture, energy, transport, technology, health, education, culture and other sectors. BRICS is therefore increasingly becoming a platform through which developing and emerging economies seek to increase their influence in international economic governance.

India’s 2026 presidency illustrates this evolution. The 18th BRICS Summit, held in New Delhi on 12 and 13 September under the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”, placed particular emphasis on economic and financial cooperation, innovation, sustainability and reform of international institutions. The New Delhi Declaration also recognised the contribution of partner countries and encouraged greater participation in BRICS activities and practical cooperation. For Mauritius, the relevance of BRICS therefore lies in the economic networks that surround it. A grouping bringing together major economies in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America provides another channel through which Mauritius can pursue market diversification, investment promotion, financial cooperation, technology partnerships and South-South economic integration.

WHERE FRIENDSHIP CAN HAVE GREAT ECONOMIC BENEFITS

BRICS becomes more interesting when it is examined through an economic rather than ideological lens. The New Development Bank has become an important part of this architecture, while discussions around cross-border payments and greater use of local currencies indicate an effort to reduce some of the frictions associated with international transactions dominated by traditional financial channels.

For Mauritius, once again the economic rationale is particularly significant. The country needs to continue diversifying its export markets, investment sources and financial relationships while strengthening its position as a bridge between Africa and Asia. The growing importance of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia creates further possibilities in investment, financial services, logistics, aviation, energy and tourism. The presence of major African economies within BRICS also adds another dimension to Mauritius’s efforts to strengthen its role as an African financial and business hub.

The BRICS model is consequently attractive to developing economies because participation does not mean abandoning existing relationships with any other nations. India is perhaps the clearest example. It maintains extensive relations with the United States, Europe and Japan while simultaneously deepening its engagement with Russia, China and the wider BRICS framework. BRICS therefore provides an additional platform for Mauritius rather than demanding any exclusive alignment.

WHY MAURITIUS SHOULD EXAMINE PARTNER OR OBSERVER STATUS

Mauritius should examine the possibility of establishing a formal relationship with BRICS, preferably through the existing partner-country framework or another arrangement that provides meaningful access to BRICS activities. The precise terminology is less important than the substance of the relationship. What matters is whether Mauritius can participate in selected meetings, business forums, sectoral initiatives and discussions affecting the interests of developing and small states.

For almost six decades, diplomatic friendships have been an important component of our country’s external relations. But in a more competitive global environment, Mauritius needs to ask what each friendship provides in terms of market access, investment, technology, financing, connectivity, and opportunities for Mauritian businesses. As a SIDS, Mauritius does not have the luxury of limiting its economic engagement to one group of partners. Our strength lies precisely in the ability to build bridges across markets, regions and economic blocs. Mauritius therefore does not need to choose between BRICS and the G7, or between the Global South and developed economies. The objective should instead be to maintain established relationships while systematically developing additional channels of cooperation with both developed and developing economies.

Furthermore, this is not a new posture, nor a convenient one. It is the posture on which our sovereignty was founded. On 24 April 1968, the day Mauritius was admitted to the United Nations, Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam declared: “Sovereign Mauritius will ally itself still more closely with France, as with the other countries from which our forefathers came. Thus this remote island in the Indian Ocean will become one of the most important meeting places of East and West.” That was not sentiment. That was strategy spoken at the very moment we entered the community of nations. SSR far sighted vision was not to place Mauritius permanently within one camp, but to position the island as a bridge between different parts of the world. More than six decades later, that principle remains relevant, particularly as the global economic landscape becomes more diversified.

Finally, what remains is whether we have the courage to honour that mandate, not by clinging to old friendships at the expense of new ones, not by waiting to be invited, but by using every platform at our disposal, BRICS included, to extract real, measurable, sovereign gains. SSR gave us the vision. The question now is whether we have the nerve to act on it