{"id":2038634,"date":"2023-09-20T12:28:01","date_gmt":"2023-09-20T16:28:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/oil-the-hidden-motive-behind-the-brics-expansion\/"},"modified":"2023-09-20T12:33:50","modified_gmt":"2023-09-20T16:33:50","slug":"oil-the-hidden-motive-behind-the-brics-expansion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/oil-the-hidden-motive-behind-the-brics-expansion\/","title":{"rendered":"Oil: The BRICS Expansion&#8217;s Secret Motive"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">12<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Foil-the-hidden-motive-behind-the-brics-expansion%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2038634&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><blockquote>\n<h2>Commentary<\/h2>\n<p class=\"s3\"><em>Much of the commentary on\u200b the motives behind the expansion\u200c of the BRICS\u2063 trading \u2064alliance\u2014Brazil, Russia,\u200d India, \u2062China, South\u2064 Africa\u2014announced \u200dlast month has\u2063 been centered on the anti-American bias of the coalition. Specifically, that behind the smiley-faced fa\u00e7ade \u200dof an ostensible \u2062economic\u2064 cooperation community lies a deep-seated opposition to the U.S.-dominated global financial system,\u2064 and\u2062 the\u200c weaponization of economic sanctions against \u2062any nation that opposes the U.S. \u2064led world order. De-dollarization\u2014i.e.,\u2062 the imminent demise of the U.S. dollar as the\u200b world\u2019s reserve currency\u2014has become an \u200cincreasingly common topic of discussion.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>All of\u2062 that may\u200d certainly\u2062 be true over the long \u2063run. But there\u2062 is another \u200cnearer term and\u200c highly pragmatic motivation for the \u200coriginal members, especially for China\u2014the\u2062 dominant, first among equals in the group\u2014to expand the \u200dclub in the way they are\u2014and that motivation is oil.<\/p>\n<p>For background, the original BRICS community \u200cwas formed in 2010 with five member nations: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. In \u2064recent years, some 40 nations have expressed\u2063 interest in joining the group, with some making formal application. In August,\u200d at the 2023 Annual BRICS Summit, six countries were approved to officially join BRICS \u200bin 2024: Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode\">\n<div class=\"border-comp-divider mb-4 mr-4 w-full max-w-[500px] border px-5 py-4 text-[16px] leading-[20px] text-[#262626] md:float-left\" id=\"in_article_related_stories\">\n<h2 class=\"mb-3 font-sans text-[16px] font-semibold uppercase leading-[19px] text-[#2F2F2F]\">Related Stories<\/h2>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\">\n          <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/opinion\/brics-challenges-the-western-order-5489894?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/p>\n<h3>BRICS Challenges the Western Order<\/h3>\n<p>          <\/a>\n        <\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">9\/12\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\">\n        <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/opinion\/brics-challenges-the-western-order-5489894?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/a>\n      <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\">\n          <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/opinion\/brics-11-wont-promote-usage-of-the-chinese-currency-5481597?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/p>\n<h3>BRICS-11 Won\u2019t Promote Usage of\u200b the\u2062 Chinese\u200c Currency<\/h3>\n<p>          <\/a>\n        <\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">8\/31\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\">\n        <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/opinion\/brics-11-wont-promote-usage-of-the-chinese-currency-5481597?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/a>\n      <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The addition of\u2062 these six nations did little to augment either BRICS&#8217;s economic might, share of\u2062 global trade, or\u200b even its portion of\u200c the world\u2019s population.\u2063 The original \u2064BRICS constitute \u2062nearly a quarter of the world\u2019s GDP (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/chinas-q2-gdp-growth-slows-to-0-8-q-q-raises-stimulus-expectations\/\" title=\"China's Q2 GDP growth decelerates to 0.8% q\/q, heightening stimulus hopes.\">gross domestic\u200c product<\/a>), \u200bwith\u2064 China alone comprising\u2062 18.4\u2063 percent. The six new \u200dcountries will \u2062add a mere 3 percent\u2062 to BRICS+ share \u200dof global GDP. Similarly, China \u2062represents \u200c14.4 \u2064percent of global trade, \u200cwith the other four original \u2063members adding another 4.4 percent. The \u200dnew members will contribute \u200cjust\u2062 under 5 percent. The \u200doriginal BRICS comprise over 38 \u200cpercent \u200bof\u2062 the \u2063world\u2019s population, with the new members contributing an additional 5 percent.<\/p>\n<p>The\u2062 real difference is in oil, the\u2062 lifeblood of the modern economy. Today, the BRICS nations\u200b represent 17.1 percent of global\u2064 crude oil production. With the addition of the \u200dnew\u200d members, \u200bespecially Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the UAE, BRICS+ will control\u2064 43.4 percent of the \u200cworld\u2019s supply \u200cof oil.<\/p>\n<p>For China, which has only 4.4 percent of global crude oil production,\u2062 this is an enormous boon. The alliance, and its most-favored nations\u200b trading provisions, represents a substantial \u200bstep toward \u200censuring\u200d the large and growing nation\u2019s energy security and economic strength, thereby preserving the political stability of\u200c the Chinese Communist \u2063Party \u200d(CCP).<\/p>\n<p>Over the past decade, China\u2063 has built \u200dthe world\u2019s second-largest crude oil refining capacity (only \u2064the United \u200cStates\u2064 has more), \u200cbut without access to crude\u2064 from the rest of\u200d the\u2063 world, \u200cit will do them little good.<\/p>\n<p>The lessons of history have not been lost on the CCP.\u200c In particular, the CCP is well aware of how during the 1930s the \u2062United States and its\u200b Western allies cut off Imperial Japan, an island nation \u200dcompletely\u2063 devoid\u200b of petroleum and other natural resources, from\u200c access to their sources of industrial supply.\u2063 The trade embargo and other sanctions imposed by the United States left Japan vulnerable and \u200disolated, and\u200d led to the\u200d ascension of\u2062 radical nationalists and an \u2064expansionist military to dominate the politic power of\u2064 the era. \u2063The\u2063 result was a war \u2062that\u200b Japan was destined\u200b to lose\u2014for\u200d want of resources. Watching the United States.\u200c impose sanctions \u2062on \u200bother \u2064energy-producing nations \u2064such as Iran, \u200dRussia, and Venezuela has only\u200b affirmed China\u2019s suspicions and \u200cstrengthened its \u200bresolve.<\/p>\n<p>While other nations such as\u2064 India, Russia, and South Africa may bristle at China\u2019s\u2063 dominant \u200chand within BRICS+, the reality is that \u200dChina is setting the tune, and they are forced to hum \u200dalong.<\/p>\n<p>For Saudi Arabia, \u200cthe alignment with\u2062 China and\u200b the other BRICS members is similarly \u200dpragmatic. Saudi Arabia, which produces 13 percent of the world\u2019s oil, is highly dependent on crude exports as its most important revenue source. Saudi\u200c Arabia\u2019s long-standing relationship with \u200dthe\u200d United \u200dStates has been under increasing strain in \u200drecent years. The United States, along with the nations of\u2062 the European Union, have gone out of their way to\u2064 tell\u2063 the world that they want to\u2063 eliminate dependence on fossil fuels, \u2064and oil \u2063in particular, within a decade. Being no fools, the Saudis have wisely determined that they will focus their attention on\u2064 those\u200d client nations such as China and\u200b India who have \u2063made clear they have no intention of reducing their\u2062 reliance on\u2062 oil as the driver of their \u200beconomies. To this end, the \u200cSaudis\u2064 are willing to get into bed with Iran, their historical enemy and regional competitor, under the rubric of \u201cthe enemy\u200b of my \u2064enemy is my friend.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While the United States has abundant crude oil\u200b production capacity, as well as refining, \u2063the nations \u200dof Europe and the West are now increasingly\u200d at \u200brisk. This could eventually lead \u200cto\u200c geopolitical instability that should concern us all.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\"><em>Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.<\/em><\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> \u2062How\u2063 does\u2062 expanding the BRICS alliance to include major\u200c oil-producing nations strengthen China&#8217;s energy security?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Its decision to \u200cattack\u200c Pearl Harbor in\u2062 1941. China, with its\u200b growing economy and increasing energy needs, cannot afford \u2062to be in a similar position.<\/p>\n<p>By\u2064 expanding the BRICS alliance\u2063 to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/oil-the-hidden-motive-behind-the-brics-expansion\/\" title=\"Oil: The BRICS Expansion's Secret Motive\">include major oil-producing nations<\/a> like \u2064Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the UAE, China ensures a steady supply of\u2063 oil for its\u200c booming economy. This move not\u200b only strengthens China&#8217;s energy security \u200dbut also enhances \u2063its\u200c economic\u2063 and political \u2064position on the global stage.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, the inclusion of\u2064 these \u200coil-rich nations in the\u200d alliance gives them a platform to assert their influence and challenge the dominance \u200bof the\u2062 U.S.-led world order. Many of \u2063these countries\u2064 have been subject to economic sanctions and \u2063restrictions\u200d imposed by the \u200dU.S., which has\u200d harmed their economies\u2062 and \u2063limited their options. By aligning\u200d with BRICS, \u2062they gain collective bargaining power\u2064 and create a counterforce to \u200cthe U.S.&#8217;s economic dominance.<\/p>\n<p>The expansion of \u2064BRICS is a strategic move with\u200b significant \u2063implications for the global order. It represents a shift in power dynamics and \u200dchallenges the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kamala-harris-time-for-restructuring-economic-system-to-ensure-equitable-distribution\/\" title=\"Kamala Harris: Time for 'Restructuring' Economic System to Ensure 'Equitable Distribution'\">existing financial system<\/a>. \u2062While the anti-American\u200b sentiment may be an underlying factor, \u2062the immediate motivation for expanding the alliance lies in securing energy \u2063resources.<\/p>\n<p>As the world&#8217;s \u2062largest consumer of oil, China is acutely aware of the \u200bimportance of \u200cenergy security and the potential \u2064consequences of\u200b being reliant on<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The recent expansion of the BRICS trading alliance (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) has sparked commentary focused on its alleged anti-American stance. Critics argue that beneath its friendly economic cooperation image, the coalition harbors a strong opposition to the U.S.-dominated global financial system.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1828,"featured_media":2038635,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2038634","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2038634","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1828"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2038634"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2038634\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2038635"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2038634"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2038634"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2038634"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}