ISTANBUL 

China on Tuesday said BRICS is a “positive” and “stable” force in international affairs and that Beijing is "confident" in the bloc's future. 

Since it started 18 years ago, the BRICS cooperation mechanism – first made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, with five new members as of Jan. 1 Egypt, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Ethiopia – has “increased cohesiveness and influence and become a positive and stable force for good in international affairs,” said Wang Wenbin, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman.

The remarks came in response to Argentina cancelling its planned entry into the multinational bloc while five other nations joined BRICS on Monday.

“Let me make it very clear that we are fully confident in BRICS future,” Wang told a news conference in Beijing.

Emphasizing that BRICS now has 10 members, he said: “That shows exactly its bright prospects.”

BRICS has chosen to expand its membership in response to requests from relevant countries, aligning with the global trend towards multipolarity, he added.

“We will work with BRICS partners to strive for new results in greater BRICS cooperation,” he stressed.

With its newly expanded membership, BRICS contains more than 40% of the world’s population and over 30% of global gross domestic product (GDP).

Argentina was also due to join BRICS on Jan. 1 after receiving an invitation in August. However, newly elected President Javier Milei announced on Friday that the country would not join the bloc, fulfilling his campaign promise to shift his country’s foreign policy to seek closer ties with the West.