A day after Bangladesh announced that it submitted its application for BRICS membership, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Mao Ning said Tuesday that Beijing welcomes more countries to join the BRICS organization as the move would strengthen the representation and voices of emerging countries. 

Commenting on Bangladesh's application to BRICS, Mao said: "China is committed to advancing the expansion process. We welcome as many like-minded partners as possible to join the BRICS family as soon as possible," adding that the expansion of the bloc was a political consensus of the five BRICS countries.

"The BRICS countries are an important platform for cooperation between emerging and developing countries. They have always been committed to defending multipolarity, actively promoting global governance reform, and strengthening the representation and voice of emerging and developing countries," Mao said.

Bangladeshi Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen said Monday that his country had applied to join the BRICS.

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On June 17, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov revealed in an interview with RT that the BRICS nations had initiated efforts to align their positions on accepting new members into the group of emerging economies. 

Lavrov mentioned that during the August summit in Johannesburg, experts will brief the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa on the possibilities of expansion.

The top diplomat explained that BRICS operates on a consensus rule and is currently in the process of coordinating its stance on enlargement.

He also revealed that Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Algeria, and Egypt are among the aspiring candidates for membership, considering them as influential leaders of the Arab world. Lavrov expressed his belief that their inclusion would undoubtedly enhance BRICS and emphasized their readiness to swiftly find solutions.

Apart from the aforementioned candidates, Argentina, Iran, Indonesia, Turkey, and Honduras have also expressed interest in joining the BRICS bloc of developing economies. Together, the BRICS nations contribute to approximately a quarter of the global gross domestic product, 18% of global trade in goods, and account for over 40% of the world's population.

Moreover, Syrian Finance Minister Kanaan Yaghi revealed that  Damascus intends to apply to join the BRICS alliance, the bloc comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, as well as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

There are also plans to open a Sberbank branch in Syria, Yaghi told Russian news agency Sputnik during an interview.