Indonesia has formally joined the BRICS as a full member, becoming the first Southeast Asian country to join the group. There are now ten full members and eight new partner countries in the bloc, making up 41.4% of global GDP and half the world population.

Joining the discussion: 

• Einar Tangen is a Senior Fellow with the Taihe Institute and Chairman of Asia Narratives.
• Jorge Heine is a former Chilean Ambassador to China and Research Professor with the Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University.
• Anton Fedyashin is a Professor of History at American University.
• Gita Wirjawan is a former Indonesian Minister of Trade and Visiting Scholar at Stanford University.