Jakarta. BRICS made an indirect criticism of the US sweeping tariff hikes on many nations at the group’s summit attended by the newest member, Indonesia, in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday.

Jakarta officially made its BRICS debut after joining the group that brought emerging economies in early 2025. President Prabowo Subianto is currently in Brazil for two-day talks that began over the weekend local time. His BRICS counterparts -- with the exception of China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin -- were present.

The talks resulted in what they called the Rio de Janeiro Declaration. The 126-point document came against the backdrop of US President Donald Trump’s so-called “reciprocal” tariffs, which many feared could deal substantial damage to the global economy and trade. In the Rio declaration, BRICS slammed the tariff blitz but avoided any direct mention of the US or Trump.

“The proliferation of trade-restrictive actions, whether in the form of indiscriminate rising of tariffs and nontariff measures, or protectionism under the guise of environmental objectives, threatens to further reduce global trade, disrupt global supply chains, and introduce uncertainty into international economic and trade activities …,” the BRICS’ Rio de Janeiro declaration reads.

The group warned such measures could worsen the existing economic disparities. BRICS also voiced “serious concerns about the rise of unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures”, saying that they were inconsistent with the rules set by the World Trade Organization (WTO). 

BRICS nations are about to get slapped by the US tariff hikes at different levels if they fail to strike a deal with Washington or if Trump does not extend his 90-day pause on the rising import duties. The pause is supposed to last until July 9, but the US government had said that the new tariffs would kick in on August 1 for countries without deals.

All imported goods entering the US are already subject to a baseline 10 percent tariff. However, goods made by countries -- whom Trump deems as unfair trading partners -- will face much steeper import duties.

This policy will impose an additional 32 percent tariff on US-bound Indonesian goods, higher than fellow BRICS members South Africa (30 percent) and India (26 percent).

But others like Brazil, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Ethiopia only get a 10 percent tariff. Chinese goods were temporarily subject to levies as high as 145 percent, but these across-the-board tariffs currently stand at 30 percent.

Trump also spares Russia from his tariff wrath with his administration saying that Washington had already imposed sanctions on Moscow over Putin’s war in Ukraine, thus stripping any meaningful bilateral trade.

Senior minister Airlangga Hartarto claimed that Indonesia would ink a memorandum of understanding worth $34 billion on July 7 or Monday, which would include purchases of American goods and investments. 

BRICS brings together Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa -- which give the group its name. It is now joined by Egypt, Ethiopia, UAE, Iran, and Indonesia. Trump has previously threatened to charge 100 percent tariffs on BRICS nations if the group creates a rival currency to the American dollar.

The Rio de Janeiro declaration also touched on Indonesia's membership.

"We welcome the Republic of Indonesia as a BRICS member," the document reads.

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