BRICS in the World Trade Organization: Comparative Trade Policies Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa

The report examines the trade policies of BRICS nations within the WTO framework, highlighting their transition from individual actors to a coordinated group. It specifically analyzes their roles in the Doha Round, where they collaborated through groups like G-20 Agriculture and NAMA-11 to challenge the dominance of the US and EU. The text details their divergent and convergent interests in agriculture, non-agricultural market access, anti-dumping, and intellectual property, while assessing their use of the WTO's dispute settlement mechanism. It concludes that while BRICS has achieved significant political cohesion in multilateral trade forums, substantial differences in their domestic economic models and commercial interests persist.

• The BRICS countries have evolved from a financial investment category into a politically cohesive group that seeks to counterbalance the influence of the US and EU in global governance and the WTO.
• A primary success of BRICS coordination was the formation of G-20 Agriculture in 2003, which challenged US and EU proposals and shifted the decision-making dynamics of the Doha Round.
• The BICS members coordinated through the NAMA-11 group to defend their industrial goods markets and pressure developed countries to reduce tariffs, adhering to the principle of 'less than full reciprocity'.
• India has been the most aggressive BRICS member in using trade defense instruments; between 1995 and 2010, it initiated 637 anti-dumping investigations and applied 450 measures.
• BRICS members show significant divergence in their tariff profiles: Brazil has the lowest trade-to-GDP ratio (24% between 2008-2010), while South Africa has the highest (61%).
• In agriculture, Brazil acts as an offensive exporter seeking the end of subsidies in developed markets, whereas India and China maintain defensive positions to protect food security and rural populations.
• BICS members have increasingly used the WTO Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) as a strategic tool, with Brazil, India, and China participating in 26% of all recorded disputes.
• There is a strong convergence among BRICS members regarding the need to declare the origin of genetic resources or traditional knowledge when filing patents under the TRIPS Agreement.
• The group identifies potential for future cooperation in 'new themes' such as trade and climate change, energy, and food security, as well as the creation of mutual recognition agreements for technical and sanitary standards.

APA

Thorstensen, V., & Oliveira, I. T. M. (2014). BRICS in the World Trade Organization: Comparative Trade Policies Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/BRICS-in-the-WTO-Comparative-Trade_20140621_web-version.pdf

Chicago

Thorstensen, Vera, and Ivan Tiago Machado Oliveira. BRICS in the World Trade Organization: Comparative Trade Policies Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2014. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/BRICS-in-the-WTO-Comparative-Trade_20140621_web-version.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Thorstensen |first1=Vera |last2=Oliveira |first2=Ivan Tiago Machado |title=BRICS in the World Trade Organization: Comparative Trade Policies Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=March 2014 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/BRICS-in-the-WTO-Comparative-Trade_20140621_web-version.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{thorstensen2014brics, author = {Thorstensen, Vera and Oliveira, Ivan Tiago Machado}, title = {{BRICS in the World Trade Organization: Comparative Trade Policies Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2014}, month = mar, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/BRICS-in-the-WTO-Comparative-Trade_20140621_web-version.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }