ALOR STAR: The United States does not view intergovernmental organisation BRICS as a geopolitical rival of the Western system, but instead as a "tremendous compliment" to US soft power.
US ambassador Edgard D. Kagan said it also understands Malaysia's keenness in joining BRICS to advance its economic interests.
"I think the US view on this is, first of all, we see BRIC as a tremendous compliment to US soft power, because it was a Goldman Sachs idea — an American idea — and been implemented by the countries involved.
"But it is seen by many counterweight or bloc of opposition to the Western system.
"The fact that it was a US idea is, in many ways, a tremendous compliment to US influence," he said in a recent interview with the New Straits Times.
BRICS was coined by a Goldman Sachs economist in 2001 to describe Brazil, Russia, India and China as potentially becoming among the most dominant economies by 2050.
BRICS, chaired by Russia, has added South Africa, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates into its fold.
With its combined members' gross domestic product worth over US$25.85 trillion in 2022, it is touted as the foremost geopolitical rival of the G7 bloc of some of the world's most developed nations.
Kagan said the US was not against BRICS, as it was the biggest trading partner with three of BRICS' five original members.
"We think what really matters is what Malaysia is doing to advance its economic interests and play a positive role on the global stage.
"I think the key thing is to show that there are benefits to Malaysia from participating in BRICS, and recognising that BRICS is not likely to expand in the near future.
"There's a moratorium on new members, so Malaysia is likely to be part of a 'BRICS plus' structure."
Last Wednesday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said he would attend the BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, next month on the invitation of President Vladimir Putin during his working visit to Vladivostok for the 9th Eastern Economic Forum.
In a Facebook post, he said Putin's invitation was significant step towards Malaysia's goal of joining the grouping".
In May, he announced that Malaysia agreed in principle to join BRICS, as it was confident that the move will benefit the Malaysian economy and companies.
This, he said, would likely be done with Malaysia being a partner country in an immediate context or a BRICS partner country model before it finalises participation.