Perceived value

The next task for the BRICS is transforming international cooperation into visible societal gains

The BRICS has transitioned into a new phase of institutional consolidation and strategic relevance following its latest expansion. Over the past two decades, member states have strengthened economic coordination mechanisms, expanded trade relations and deepened cooperation in finance and infrastructure. The New Development Bank has increased its role in financing projects across emerging economies, while new connectivity initiatives continue to reshape trade and investment flows throughout the Global South.

China has played a particularly important role in this transformation through infrastructure investment, technology partnerships and economic integration initiatives directed toward developing markets. These efforts have helped turn the BRICS into a more structured platform for international cooperation.

Today, the bloc represents more than 48 percent of the world's population and roughly 39 percent of global GDP measured in purchasing power parity. Yet the current international environment presents a different kind of challenge. Building institutions is no longer enough by itself. The BRICS cooperation must increasingly translate into pragmatic benefits that ordinary citizens can actually perceive.

Institutional architecture remains essential, but the long-term legitimacy of any multilateral arrangement also depends on its ability to improve daily economic life. Small businesses, students, tourists, farmers and workers need to see concrete advantages associated with cross-border cooperation.

This discussion becomes even more relevant as the BRICS grows larger and more heterogeneous. The group now includes economies with different production structures, regional priorities and geopolitical interests that do not always align perfectly. Under these conditions, achieving full diplomatic convergence on every international issue naturally becomes more difficult.

That does not necessarily indicate institutional weakness. Instead, it may point to the emergence of a different integration model. Rather than relying on complete political alignment, BRICS countries can strengthen cohesion through pragmatic initiatives capable of generating visible economic and technological gains for their societies. For many citizens, discussions about multilateralism still feel distant from everyday concerns. That is precisely why practical cooperation matters.

Two areas illustrate this potential particularly well: digital payment interoperability and AI cooperation applied to the real economy.

In recent years, several BRICS member states have built sophisticated digital payment infrastructures. Brazil consolidated PIX, a central bank-operated instant payment system connecting more than 170 million users. India has scaled the Unified Payments Interface into one of the world's largest digital payment ecosystems. China developed an advanced digital payments environment through platforms such as Alipay and WeChat Pay while continuing to expand the digital yuan and cross-border settlement experiments.

Although these systems emerged under different institutional architectures, they share important characteristics: large-scale digital adoption, rapid settlement capacity, strong mobile integration and deep incorporation into daily economic activity. This creates a concrete foundation for interoperability initiatives linking existing national systems.

The most realistic path for the BRICS may not involve creating a common currency in the near term. A more pragmatic approach would be the gradual construction of interoperable payment corridors connecting existing national infrastructures while preserving monetary sovereignty and regulatory autonomy.

Initially, these mechanisms could focus on lower-risk, high-impact activities such as tourism payments, remittances, student transfers and transactions involving small and medium-sized businesses. A Brazilian tourist, for example, could pay in reais through PIX while a merchant in another BRICS country automatically receives settlement in its local currency.

The importance of this goes beyond technical efficiency.

Faster transactions, lower operational costs and simpler cross-border payments are changes that businesses and consumers immediately recognize. When international cooperation produces visible improvements in daily economic routines, public support for multilateral initiatives tends to deepen.

The second major area involves AI and emerging technologies.

Too often, discussions about AI are framed exclusively through geopolitical rivalry among major powers. For developing economies, however, AI also represents a practical instrument for productive modernization, competitiveness and technological upgrading. Shanghai's Xuhui district alone hosts more than 1,500 AI companies alongside specialized universities and research centers. This kind of ecosystem demonstrates how technological cooperation can move beyond diplomatic rhetoric and generate direct connections between companies, academic institutions and productive sectors.

For emerging economies, the potential effects are significant. AI tools applied to agriculture, logistics, manufacturing and energy management can increase productivity, reduce operational costs and improve competitiveness. Small and medium-sized enterprises, in particular, may gain access to technologies that today remain concentrated in a limited number of global innovation hubs.

At the same time, the pace of technological transformation means BRICS countries will need to continuously adapt. AI, quantum computing, advanced cybersecurity and next-generation data infrastructure are likely to reshape economic competitiveness over the coming decades. More important than following isolated technological trends will be the ability to create lasting mechanisms for joint research, talent development and technological absorption.

Once again, the central issue returns to social perception.

International cooperation acquires more practical results when farmers improve productivity using digital forecasting tools, when small businesses reduce logistics costs, and when universities expand collaborative research and innovation programs.

This may become the defining challenge of the next BRICS phase.

The bloc has already demonstrated diplomatic relevance and institutional resilience. The next step is transforming international cooperation into visible societal gains. A realistic road map could include pilot interoperable payment corridors, joint technology training programs and open cooperation networks focused on AI applications for productive sectors. Visible public results can make the bloc more attractive to future partners.

In the long run, the relevance of the BRICS will likely depend more on their ability to generate tangible economic opportunities across the Global South. By bringing international cooperation closer to daily life, the bloc may help redefine what multilateralism means in the 21st century.

The author is the director of the China-Brazil Center for Research and Business. 

The author contributed this article to China Watch, a think tank powered by China Daily. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

Contact the editor at editor@chinawatch.cn.