The G7 could soon find a new competitor with the emergence of the C5 bloc. The Trump administration is exploring creating an alternative alliance to the G7 by including BRICS founding members, according to a report from Politico.
C5 would be an abbreviation for ‘Core 5,’ and the idea was floated by US President Donald Trump. The proposed five countries that would be part of the C5 are the US, China, Russia, India, and Japan.
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G7 Alternative ‘C5’ Which Includes BRICS Countries
A White House official who previously worked in the Trump administration said on the condition of anonymity that the talks about the C5 are no longer shocking. He mentioned that the exact format of countries was not discussed, but there were ideas of C5 and C7. If this goes through, BRICS members could become closer to the US, and that is Trump’s ideology.
“Nothing around a C5 or C7 was discussed, but there were certainly conversations that the existing bodies like the G-structures or the UN Security Council weren’t fit for purpose, given today’s new players,” the person said. However, National Security practitioners said they could see the C5 make sense for this White House. Trump has been siding with rivals, including BRICS, to seal deals for the US. China wants the AI chips to advance its tech and manufacturing sector.
Just recently, he allowed Nvidia to sell its ambitious AI H200 chip to BRICS member China, and the US also gets to pocket 25% of its sales. “This aligns with how we know President Trump to view the world,” said Torrey Taussig, who served as the Director for European Affairs on the National Security Council during the Biden administration.
It should be noted that Trump had previously stressed that removing Russia from the G7 was a mistake. He also never opposed China joining the bloc. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin has made it clear that the country has no intention of rejoining the G7. Whether C5 will be a reality with BRICS members, the coming months will unfold.