Now some ASEAN countries are moving closer to the BRICS and trying to get more cooperation dividends, but the Philippines is not in this ranks, is it said that the Philippines is excluded?
1. BRICS expansion, ASEAN countries occupy the "main force"
At the beginning of 2024, the BRICS ushered in the second expansion, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, and Ethiopia officially entered the BRICS family.
First of all, Thailand, the country is expected to become the first ASEAN country to join the BRICS, not long ago Thailand has officially issued an application to join the BRICS, last month, the Thai cabinet meeting approved the draft letter of intent, Thailand stressed that joining the BRICS will benefit Thailand, not only to enhance Thailand's status in the international community, but also to bring more opportunities for Thailand's development.
(Thai Prime Minister's Office Spokesperson Chai Vacharong)
Malaysia and Thailand share the same idea, and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has stated that he has explained his intention to Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula, and then will apply according to the procedure.
In Malaysia, there are many voices that support the country's accession to the BRICS, mainly for three reasons: First, the BRICS attaches great importance to multilateral cooperation mechanisms, and member countries can get more opportunities for foreign cooperation. Second, it can mitigate possible economic risks, especially by reducing dependence on the US dollar. Finally, the BRICS includes members such as China and Russia, and joining them means expanding cooperation with China and Russia.
The last point can explain a lot of problems, the key point is the existence of China, indicating that ASEAN countries are interested in joining the BRICS, it is likely to look at China's face, it is precisely because of China's intensive cooperation and exchanges in Southeast Asia, Malaysia and Thailand may have strengthened their determination to join the BRICS.
2. Joining the BRICS, the Philippines is excluded?
As for other ASEAN countries, they have also revealed their concern about the BRICS, first of all, Vietnam, emphasizing that it is closely following the process of joining the BRICS, and in the middle of this month, senior Vietnamese officials also participated in the BRICS and developing countries dialogue held in Russia.
(BRICS Dialogue with Developing Countries)
The other is Indonesia, which was considered a favorite to join the BRICS last year, but Indonesia has not made a final decision. However, from the perspective of cooperation between Indonesia and China, presumably Indonesia also wants to join the BRICS, and now China is Indonesia's largest foreign direct investor and trading partner, and if Indonesia wants to expand cooperation with China, it will probably continue to get close to China through the BRICS.
Since so many ASEAN countries are interested in BRICS, then we have to mention the Philippines, can we see that the Philippines is not trying to join the ranks of BRICS, can it be said that the Philippines does not want to join? Or is the Philippines left out?
In fact, it has been reported very early that the Philippines intends to join the BRICS, and the Russian side has revealed that many voices in the Philippines have clearly expressed their strong willingness to join the BRICS. In addition, at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum hosted by Russia, the Philippine ambassador to Russia also discussed this topic, but more tactfully. The Philippine ambassador said that the Philippines hopes to achieve a relationship of mutual supply with Russia, and as for how to trade, it can learn from the experience of the BRICS countries.
(Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos)
It seems that this is a signal that the Philippines is trying to join the BRICS, but will the Philippines be able to do so? A high probability is impossible.
This is where the influence of the United States comes in. For many years, the United States has not paid much attention to the BRICS and has not realized the importance of the BRICS, so whenever it talks about the BRICS, the United States usually has nothing good to say. As for the Philippines, which has relied on the support of the United States over the years, will definitely stand in the same camp as the United States, so if the Philippines does not have a correct attitude towards the BRICS, let alone what to do in the future.
Another point is that the Philippines has always emphasized the so-called "South China Sea claims" that it only recognizes, and has repeatedly provoked China and exacerbated tensions in the South China Sea. China is the core component of the BRICS, and for a country like the Philippines that thinks about confrontation all day long, how can the BRICS, which attaches importance to cooperation and exchanges, give the Philippines the green light?
Therefore, it is not that the Philippines is "excluded", but that the Philippines itself does not have the confidence to clearly put forward its willingness to join the BRICS like other ASEAN countries.
3. After being hurt by the Chinese side, the Philippines began to soften
It is worth mentioning that the current Philippines seems to be aware of something wrong, so even if it is "hurt" by China, it still "greets China" with a "smile" and hopes to get Chinese investment.
Not long ago, Philippine ships illegally approached the waters near Ren'ai Jiao and tried to replenish the beached warship, but this move was strongly blocked by the Chinese coast guard, which also directly boarded the ship for inspection and confiscated Philippine weapons.
(China Coast Guard Law Enforcement)
In the face of China's reasonable, lawful and compliant actions, the Philippines does not dare to be too arrogant at all, and can only pay lip service to accuse China of being very dangerous. But other than that, the Philippine side has not responded, and it is obvious that it has been "hurt" by the Chinese side.
And against this backdrop, Philippine officials have also declared that they welcome investment and trade from any country, including China. Releasing China alone means that the Philippines is specifically speaking to China, and it also shows that no matter how ambitious the Philippines is, when it comes to actual economic issues, it can only give in to China.
If the Philippines wants to focus on the development of its own strength like other ASEAN countries, it must abandon its original provocative ideas and change its attitude first, so that it can be recognized.