An attendant is stands next to South African, Indian, Russian, Brazilian and Chinese flags during a plenary session of BRICS Summit, in Xiamen, China September 4, 2017. "An expansion could transform the bloc into something else," said a Brazilian official, who asked not to be named. Russia said expansion would be high on the agenda of the upcoming BRICS summit. A government official told Reuters: "India has reservations about the expansion ... South Africa, the first beneficiary of a BRICS expansion in 2010, now supports inclusion of new members, though South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has said the expansion formula requires "closer scrutiny and understanding."

---

Persons: Tyrone Siu, Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, Cyril Ramaphosa, Oliver Stuenkel, Stuenkel, Lisandra, Laurie Chen, Krishn Kaushik, Carien du Plessis, Tim Cocks, Wendel Roelf, Anthony Boadle, Brad Haynes, David Gregorio Our Organizations: BRICS, REUTERS, Tyrone, Reuters, Brazilian, Diplomats, Getulio Vargas Foundation, Thomson Locations: Xiamen, China, Tyrone Siu BRASILIA, Brazil, Russia, India, South Africa, United States, Ukraine, Brasilia, Algeria, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Beijing, BRICS, Africa, São Paulo, Indonesia, Iran, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, New Delhi