Chilean President Gabriel Boric officially confirmed his participation in the BRICS Summit to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on July 6-7, 2025. This development has sparked discussions on Chile’s potential BRICS membership.[1]
Founded in 2010 under the leadership of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, BRICS has grown over time to become the voice of the Global South. The structure, which has now reached 11 members with the addition of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Ethiopia, Iran and Indonesia, represents 55% of the world’s population, 42.2% of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 44% of oil supply. Through the New Development Bank established in 2014, BRICS has created a 100-billion-dollar resource for infrastructure and sustainable development projects.[2]
This multinational structure brings together countries with different governance systems. BRICS was conceived as an alternative to the G7, which is homogeneous in structure and based on liberal democratic values. For countries like Chile, participation in this structure is not only an economic prospect, but also symbolizes a “move towards a multipolar world” with geopolitical, cultural and strategic dimensions.[3]
Multilateralism has been severely weakened under United States (US) President Donald Trump. The disregard of United Nations (UN) resolutions, violations of international law, the functionalization of the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the unilateral cancellation of trade agreements have increased the fragility of the global order. Trump has sent clear messages to Latin America, especially regarding Chinese strategic investments. In 2019, during US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s visit to Chile, the Piñera government canceled two strategic projects signed with China.[4]
These problems in the past also bring Chile’s position in global geopolitics to the agenda. Today, Chile’s economic ties with BRICS are quite strong. In 2024, Chile realized 45% of its exports to BRICS countries. China alone accounted for 37.9% of Chile’s exports. On the other hand, Chile has free trade agreements with all G7 countries.
Chile’s decision to participate in the 2025 BRICS Summit represents a multi-layered geopolitical orientation that reinforces the country’s search for strategic autonomy in its foreign policy. This development can be evaluated within the framework of the concepts of multipolarity, interconnectedness and alternative multilateralism, which are frequently discussed in the international relations literature. Especially considering China’s economic influence in Latin America, Chile’s rapprochement with BRICS points to a search for an institutional balance between geoeconomic dependence and geopolitical autonomy.
Chile aims to gain flexibility in global governance structures through a strategy of normative plurality and institutional balancing without completely breaking away from Western-centered institutional structures. This preference of Chile can be evaluated on the axis of South-South cooperation. Because the BRICS platform represents the effort of developing countries to be more visible in global decision-making mechanisms. In the context of neo-classical realism, the transformation in the country’s domestic political structure (left-leaning governance) and alignments at the regional level directly affect its foreign policy orientations, thus creating a two-way interaction between systemic pressures and domestic dynamics. In this framework, Chile’s approach to BRICS is not only based on economic interests, but is also linked to the search for long-term diplomatic diversification, regional leadership and the redefinition of development norms.
Chile’s multifaceted strategy could lead to an increased interest in BRICS in Latin America and a reshaping of regional foreign policy paradigms. Therefore, this participation is not just an invitation to the summit, but part of a structural transformation that redefines Chile’s role and orientations in the international system.
The concept of “multi-layered multipolarity”, which has been increasingly discussed in the international relations literature in recent years, argues that the distribution of power is not limited to military and diplomatic levels, but that centers in the economic, technological, normative and digital spheres also shape the multipolar nature of the system. In this context, the evolution of BRICS represents not only the coming together of non-Western powers, but also an expression of an alternative development paradigm, regional cooperation networks and non-dollar financial mechanisms. The 2025 BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is an important milestone in this transformation. Among the main agenda items of the summit are the promotion of trade in national currencies, strengthening digital infrastructures and expanding banking coverage.
This reveals that BRICS is trying to institutionalize itself as a functional and institutional non-Western alternative. These developments reinforce a polycentric and flexible governance approach that challenges the hegemony of Western-centered structures such as the G7 in the functioning of the system.
Chile’s participation in this summit and its potential to join BRICS as an observer or full member is critical for strengthening the Latin American pillar of this multi-layered structure. Chile’s increasing economic integration with BRICS countries, especially China, and its cooperation in digital infrastructure investments (e.g. Huawei Cloud data centers) indicate that the country is increasingly seeking a new position in the multipolar global order. In this regard, Chile’s turn towards BRICS while maintaining its deep institutional ties with the West should be read as a component of its “connectivity” and “institutional balancing” strategies.
In terms of neo-classical realism, Chile’s interest in BRICS can be seen as a rational response to power shifts at the systemic level. At the domestic level, the left-leaning Boric administration’s prioritization of multilateralism and South-South cooperation further deepens this orientation. Chile’s preferences thus become part of a multilevel strategy aimed at both maximizing national interests and overcoming the limitations of the existing international order.
In conclusion, the BRICS 2025 Summit and Chile’s orientation towards this structure, within the framework of the multi-layered multipolarity approach, demonstrate the increasing normative and structural diversity of the global order and the establishment of new regional connectivity pathways. The expansion of BRICS’ institutional boundaries towards Latin America not only strengthens its claim to be the collective voice of the South, but also institutionalizes the role of non-Western actors as playmakers by multiplying the centers of global governance. Chile’s inclusion in this process symbolizes Latin America’s search for a more active, flexible and versatile position in the global geopolitical architecture.
[1] “Can Chile be a brick in the BRICS?”, Meer, https://www.meer.com/en/93009-can-chile-be-a-brick-in-the-brics, (Date of Access: 31.05.2025).
[2] “The BRICS and the Emerging Order of Multipolarity”, Clingendael, https://www.clingendael.org/publication/brics-and-emerging-order-multipolarity, (Date of Access: 31.05.2025).
[3] “Can Chile be a brick in the BRICS?”, Meer, https://www.meer.com/en/93009-can-chile-be-a-brick-in-the-brics, (Date of Access: 31.05.2025).
[4] Ibid.
