BRICS has expanded to 20 countries - 10 members and 10 partners - after adding Vietnam. BRICS+ now makes up 43.93% of world GDP (PPP) and 55.61% of the global population. Ben Norton explains how the US failed to divide China and Vietnam in the Second Cold War.

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZUeShGMarI

Sources, links, and downloadable charts here: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2025/07/04/brics-expansion-population-gdp-vietnam

Asia is uniting, creating a new post-West global order: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRGkCw-Sqk0

Topics

0:00 Vietnam joins BRICS

0:42 History of BRICS expansion

1:01 BRICS membership

1:21 Map of BRICS+

1:30 BRICS: 44% of global GDP (PPP)

1:50 BRICS: 56% of world population

2:26 Cold War and Non-Aligned Movement

3:33 USA tries to divide Vietnam & China

5:07 Vietnam's foreign policy is non-aligned

5:53 Timing of Vietnam's decision

6:47 Trump's tariffs

7:39 China improves relations with Vietnam

8:32 Complex history of China-Vietnam relations

10:47 Vietnam's "Four Nos"

11:48 China's non-alignment

12:17 Similarities of Chinese & Vietnamese socialist system

13:36 Vietnam's economic development

15:32 Incomes in Vietnam & China

16:40 Socialist market economy

17:22 Life expectancy in Vietnam & China

18:38 Popularity of Vietnamese & Chinese governments

19:34 Western capitalist oligarchy

21:11 Global South alternatives

21:57 The ASEAN Way

22:37 ASEAN-GCC-China Summit

23:16 Outro