By EFE-EPA

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is set to receive the leaders of Russia, China, India and South Africa later this week at a time when he is aligned with the United States – not traditionally the case at BRICS summits.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are set to arrive in the Brazilian capital on Tuesday for two days of meetings with Brazil’s far right leader.

(L-R) Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa pose for a picture during the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Leaders’ meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in in Osaka, Japan, 28 June 2019. (EPA-EFE FILE/MICHAEL KLIMENTYEV/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN / POOL MANDATORY CREDIT / MANILA BULLETIN)

The main topics of discussion will be economic and commercial cooperation between the world’s five major emerging economies.

Some aspects of the global agenda will be hard to address but “will not be avoided,” according to Brazil.

Some of aspects relate to Latin America – notably Venezuela and Cuba, but now the Bolivian crisis has come into the mix.

On Venezuela, the only thing the BRICS countries agree on is no foreign military intervention.

Russia, China, India and South Africa recognize the government of President Nicolás Maduro, whom Brazil’s Bolsonaro describes as “a dictator” and whose “exit” he is pushing for through regional mechanisms, like the Lima Group, and in close cooperation with the US.

Brazil, which recognizes head of Venezuela’s National Assembly Juan Guaidó as the country’s president, acknowledges there are “differences of opinion,” but has said these issues will be treated with “frank, respectful and cordial dialog.”

Bolsonaro’s increasingly clear alignment with US President Donald Trump’s government has been seen in the UN – now in relation to Cuba.

Like Russia, China, South Africa and India, Brazil had always backed a motion that Cuba has presented to the UN since 1992 that demands an end to the US blockade.

This year Brazil changed tact and failed to support the resolution, which was backed by 187 countries but rejected by the US and Israel.

Uncertainty brought about by the resignation of President Evo Morales in Bolivia has also been received differently by the five nations.

Brazil, Bolivia’s main gas customer, has been cautious. Bolsonaro has said the events that led to Morales’s resignation were the product of “fraud allegations” in the 20 October elections and he has steered clear of the word “coup.”

Russia’s Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, expressed “alarm” over Morales’s willingness “to seek constructive solutions through dialog” being swept aside by events resembling a coup.

India and South Africa have not said anything on the matter, while Beijing exercised its usual diplomacy.

“China hopes that all parties in Bolivia can resolve their discrepancies under the Constitution and the law to restore political and social stability as early as possible,” Chinese Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Geng Shuang said.

On Monday, the Kremlin said Putin intends to talk with Bolsonaro about the events in Bolivia, at least during a bilateral meeting scheduled for next Wednesday.

The trade war between the US and China could also lead to disagreements between Brazil and the other BRICS partners, which could put Bolsonaro at a crossroads between his biggest political ally and his main customer.

For now, Brazil has juggled the difficult balance with a good dose of pragmatism, speaking out in favor of multilateralism and free trade.

In mid 2020, Bolsonaro’s government will face another crossroads when it comes to an auction for 5G frequencies – the technology at the heart of the US-China dispute.

According to analysts, the thick political relationship woven between Bolsonaro and Trump could change if Brazil accepts Chinese firm Huawei, which for Washington represents a “threat” to security.

The White House’s tough stance on Huawei has been rejected by Russia and South Africa, while India has avoided the matter.