Beyond Multipolarity: China, BRICS and the Emergence of a New Sphere of Influence

This ongoing research project examines the evolving role of BRICS in the context of shifting global power dynamics and intensifying US–China rivalry. Moving beyond conventional interpretations of BRICS as merely an expression of multipolarity, the project analyses how China’s growing economic and geopolitical centrality has shaped the evolution and expansion of the grouping. Drawing on debates in International Relations and International Political Economy, the study explores the relationship between global order transformation, China’s foreign policy, and the emergence of alternative forms of international cooperation. Particular attention is given to trade, investment, global production networks, and institutional integration among BRICS countries, as well as to the concept of “global connectivity” as a framework for understanding contemporary Chinese foreign policy.

The project finds that BRICS is increasingly shaped by China’s economic and geopolitical centrality, evolving beyond a loose coalition of emerging powers into a flexible sphere of influence structured through asymmetrical networks of trade, investment, and institutional integration. The analysis shows that China occupies a dominant position within the grouping across multiple dimensions, including intra-BRICS trade, outward foreign direct investment, global production networks, and the architecture of trade and investment agreements. Rather than relying primarily on military alliances or direct coercion, China advances its influence through strategies of global connectivity and soft balancing, embedding BRICS within broader networks of economic and diplomatic interdependence. The project also finds that BRICS expansion reflects not only dissatisfaction with Western-led institutions, but also the growing attractiveness of China-centred forms of international cooperation in the context of intensifying US–China rivalry and a more fragmented international order.