BRICS nations resist 'anti-American' label after Trump tariff threat
Leaders of the BRICS group pose for the family photo during the BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil July 7, 2025. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes
RIO DE JANEIRO - Developing nations participating in the BRICS summit on Monday brushed away an accusation from U.S. President Donald Trump that the bloc is "anti-American," as he threatened them with additional 10% tariffs.
Trump's threat on Sunday night came as the U.S. government prepared to finalize dozens of trade deals with a range of countries before his July 9 deadline for the imposition of significant "retaliatory tariffs."
"Tariffs should not be used as a tool for coercion and pressuring," Mao Ning, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said in Beijing. The BRICS advocates for "win-win cooperation," she added, and "does not target any country."
South Africa, which was slapped with 30% tariffs that were later suspended pending trade talks, reaffirmed that it is "not anti-American," trade ministry spokesman Kaamil Alli said, adding that talks with the U.S. government "remain constructive and fruitful."
A Kremlin spokesman said Russia's cooperation with the BRICS was based on a "common world view" and "will never be directed against third countries."
India and Brazil, which is hosting the BRICS gathering, did not immediately provide an official response to Trump.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva told reporters that he would only comment after wrapping up the summit. His opening remarks to BRICS leaders gathered in Rio de Janeiro on Monday focused on the environmental and public health issues on the summit's official agenda.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore Eligible S'poreans to get up to $850 in GSTV cash, up to $450 in MediSave top-ups in August
Singapore Four golf courses to close by 2035, leaving Singapore with 12 courses
Singapore Singapore's second mufti Sheikh Syed Isa Semait dies at age 87
Singapore Fewer marriages in Singapore in 2024; greater marital stability for recent unions
Business OCBC sets loan target of $5b and covers more territories in boost for serial entrepreneurs
Singapore Reform Party to leave opposition group People's Alliance for Reform; two parties remain
Singapore Shell heist: Second mastermind gets more than 25 years' jail for siphoning $100m of fuel
Asia 72-year-old man on diving trip to Pulau Tioman in Malaysia found dead on the beach
A Brazilian diplomat who was not authorized to comment officially said Trump's threat underscored the importance of the BRICS group to give developing nations a way to argue for fair and effective global ground rules on topics such as trade.
Many BRICS members and many of the group's partner nations are highly dependent on trade with the United States.
New member Indonesia's senior economic minister, Airlangga Hartarto, who is in Brazil for the BRICS summit, is scheduled to go to the U.S. on Monday to oversee tariff talks, an official told Reuters.
Malaysia, which was attending as a partner country and was slapped with 24% tariffs that were later suspended, said that it maintains independent economic policies and is not focused on ideological alignment.
MULTILATERAL DIPLOMACY
With forums such as the G7 and G20 groups of major economies hamstrung by divisions and Trump's disruptive "America First" approach, the BRICS group has presented itself as a haven for multilateral diplomacy amid violent conflicts and trade wars.
In a joint statement released on Sunday afternoon, leaders at the summit condemned the recent bombing of member nation Iran and warned that the rise in tariffs threatened global trade, continuing its veiled criticism of Trump's tariff policies.
Hours later, Trump warned he would punish countries seeking to join the group.
The original BRICS group gathered leaders from Brazil, Russia, India and China at its first summit in 2009. The bloc later added South Africa and last year included Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates as members.
Saudi Arabia has held off formally accepting an invitation to full membership, but is participating as a partner country. More than 30 nations have expressed interest in participating in the BRICS, either as full members or partners. REUTERS
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
26 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Nato chief says Brazil, China and India could be slammed by sanctions over Russia ties
Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte speaking to a reporter as he arrives to hold a press conference with US Senators in Washington, on July 15. WASHINGTON - Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte warned on July 15 that countries such as Brazil, China and India could be hit very hard by secondary sanctions if they continued to do business with Russia. Mr Rutte made the comment while meeting with senators in the US Congress the day after President Donald Trump announced new weapons for Ukraine and threatened 'biting' secondary tariffs of 100 per cent on the buyers of Russian exports unless there is a peace deal in 50 days. 'My encouragement to these three countries, particularly is, if you live now in Beijing, or in Delhi, or you are the president of Brazil, you might want to take a look into this, because this might hit you very hard,' Mr Rutte told reporters, who met with Mr Trump on July 14 and agreed the new steps. 'So please make the phone call to Vladimir Putin and tell him that he has to get serious about peace talks, because otherwise this will slam back on Brazil, on India and on China in a massive way,' Mr Rutte added. Republican US Senator Thom Tillis praised Mr Trump for announcing the steps, but said the 50-day delay 'worries' him. He said he was concerned that 'Putin would try to use the 50 days to win the war, or to be better positioned to negotiate a peace agreement after having murdered and potentially collected more ground as a basis for negotiation. 'So we should look at the current state of Ukraine today and say, no matter what you do over the next 50 days, any of your gains are off the table,' he added. Mr Rutte said Europe would find the money to ensure Ukraine was in the best possible position in peace talks. He said that under the agreement with Mr Trump, the US would now 'massively' supply Ukraine with weapons 'not just air defence, also missiles, also ammunition paid for by the Europeans.' Asked if long-range missiles for Ukraine were under discussion, Mr Rutte said: 'It is both defensive and offensive. So there's all kinds of weapons, but we have not discussed in detail yesterday with the president. This is really being worked through now by the Pentagon, by the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, together with the Ukrainians.' REUTERS
Straits Times
32 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Trump says Zelenskiy should not target Moscow
Find out what's new on ST website and app. U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with reporters, as he departs for travel to Pennsylvania from the South Lawn at the White House in Washington, D.C. U.S., July 15, 2025. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy should not target Moscow and that Russian President Vladimir Putin should agree to a ceasefire deal by a 50-day deadline or sanctions will kick in. His comments came after The Financial Times, citing people briefed on discussions, reported on Tuesday that Trump had privately encouraged Ukraine to step up deep strikes on Russia. The newspaper added that Trump asked Zelenskiy whether he could strike Moscow if the U.S. provided long-range weapons. "No, he shouldn't target Moscow," Trump told reporters on the South Lawn of the White House when asked if Zelenskiy should attack the Russian capital. Trump on Monday announced a toughened stance against Russia for its three-year-old war in Ukraine, promising a fresh wave of missiles and other weaponry for Ukraine. He gave Moscow 50 days to reach a ceasefire or face sanctions. Asked if he was now on the side of Ukraine, Trump said, "I am on nobody's side," and then declared he was on "humanity's side" because "I want to stop the killing." Trump defended the deadline he set for Russia to agree to a deal and head off tariffs and sanctions on countries that buy oil from Russia. "I don't think 50 days is very long and it could be sooner than that," he said. He did not say whether any talks were planned to try to work out a deal with Russia. "At the end of the 50 days if we don't have a deal, it's going to be too bad," he said. REUTERS
Straits Times
38 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Economic headwinds do not dampen outlook for new Marina Bay development: Las Vegas Sands president
Find out what's new on ST website and app. Las Vegas Sands president and CEO Patrick Dumont said Singapore is 'incredibly desirable' to the firm as so many people want to come to the Republic to live and do business. SINGAPORE – Consumer spending in the Asia-Pacific is currently dampened due to geopolitical factors, but Mr Patrick Dumont remains unfazed about long-term business projections for the upcoming Las Vegas Sands development. 'We think in 10, 20-year terms,' said Mr Dumont, who is the president and chief operating officer at Las Vegas Sands, Marina Bay Sands' (MBS) parent company. 'South-east Asia is filled with young people who are entrepreneurial, aspirational and working very hard and creating business success, and as that occurs, they want to consume, and experience things that are unique, luxury and aspirational.' Las Vegas Sands' new US$8 billion (S$10.3 billion) development is set to be completed by 2030 and open in the first quarter of 2031. The complex will comprise 570 luxury hotel suites, a casino, a 15,000-seat entertainment arena, and 200,000 sq ft of meeting and convention space. It will also have a 'Skyloop' – a counterpart to the current MBS SkyPark – and high-end restaurants. An artist's impression of Las Vegas Sands' new ultra-luxury development in Singapore. PHOTO: MARINA BAY SANDS 'This is going to be the most luxurious and high-serviced hotel in the world,' Mr Dumont told The Straits Times on July 14, a day before the ground-breaking on the new development. The new complex costs almost 50 per cent more than the US$5.6 billion that was pumped into the development of the existing MBS integrated resort by Las Vegas Sands 15 years ago. Despite being targeted at the ultra-luxury market, it will have public spaces open to everybody – such as the new Skyloop on the roof, where two overlapping elliptical decks are stacked on top of each other. An artist's impression of the Lower and Upper Skyloop on the tower's roof, where two overlapping elliptical decks are stacked on top of each other. PHOTO: SAFDIE ARCHITECTS The lower Skyloop will have several public areas, including an observatory, restaurants and rooftop gardens, while above, hotel guests will have private cabanas and infinity-edge pools. There will also be a wellness terrace for events. Singapore is 'incredibly desirable' to Las Vegas Sands and its significant investments because so many people want to come to the Republic to live and do business, said Mr Dumont. 'So, it is very important for us to continue to invest and grow our capabilities, to maintain leadership in the industry... This is the next evolution in high-value tourism investment.' (From left) Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu, Las Vegas Sands co-founder Miriam Adelson, Las Vegas Sands chief operating officer Patrick Dumont, architect Moshe Safdie and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong looking at a model of the new hotel tower during its ground-breaking ceremony on July 15. ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI The focus on high-spending business and leisure tourists aligns with the Government's focus, he noted. For example, the authorities have identified the Mice (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) segment as a key growth engine for Singapore tourism. Mice visitors are expected to contribute 10 per cent, or $3.5 billion, of the country's tourism receipts by 2040. The upcoming entertainment arena, for instance, will be able to hold both live performances and Mice events. The hotel tower and arena by Las Vegas Sands set against the horizon. PHOTO: SAFDIE ARCHITECTS 'We will have a connection through a bridge that will allow people to have a large Mice event and then also use the arena for other purposes as part of that event,' said Mr Dumont, adding that it is important for the new development to include amenities not available in the existing MBS property. He also envisions the new development having a larger impact on the Marina Bay district as a whole in what he described as a 'halo effect'. 'Where it not only enhances our ability to conduct tourism and drive people to Singapore and to our properties, but also enhances the Marina Bay district as a desirable tourism destination because of the amenities that we will provide.'
