BEIJING, July 17. /TASS/. The West demonstrates a narrow-minded approach when it portrays BRICS - a group of major emerging economies uniting Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - as an organization seeking to become a rival of NATO or G7, a columnist of China’s Global Times newspaper wrote.

"When facing possible BRICS enlargement, the West can hardly hide their Cold War mentality. Since the BRICS summit was held in June, Western media outlets have been hyping the topic under the theme of East-West confrontation," the opinion piece says. "Western netizens also describe BRICS as a rival of G7 and NATO. It cannot be more narrow-minded to view BRICS in this way. As if for some Westerners, when some countries get together, they are bonding to have a target to oppose, just like what the West has always done."

At the same time, according to the article’s author, "BRICS has simply no interest in becoming another G7 or NATO" or engaging in a block-type standoff.

"When the West compares BRICS with G7 and NATO, it has turned a blind eye to the fact that G7 has long become a rich countries' club, and NATO's mentality is still trapped in the Cold War. Whenever G7 attempts to put up a show to discuss various global issues nowadays, all it really cares about is containment of China and Russia," Global Times writes.

In the author’s opinion, BRICS differs from Western organizations in the sense that its members are equal and free to act independently, but within the framework of established principles of cooperation. Moreover, the group has "the will, and, in different degrees, capability, to fix the deficit in global governance."

As far as admitting new members into the group is concerned, the article says that it is unlikely to take place before specific membership rules and procedures are adopted. However, "when Turkey, a NATO ally, applies for BRICS membership, it <…> represents something much cooler than US-dominated rules and orders," the paper writes. "At least it signals that the world needs a reformed governance where Western voices are not the only sound."

In June 2022, Argentina and Iran applied to join BRICS. Later, the President of the BRICS International Forum Purnima Anand said that Egypt, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia were also planning to apply for joining the association. In her words, the admittance of new members should not take long. In her opinion, discussions and possible decision on granting membership to some of those applicants may be expected during the organization’s next summit.