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RIO DE JANEIRO: President Donald Trump said the US will impose an additional 10 percent tariff on any countries aligning themselves with the “Anti-American policies” of the BRICS group of developing nations, whose leaders kicked off a summit in Brazil on Sunday. 

With forums such as the G7 and G20 groups of major economies hamstrung by divisions and the disruptive “America First” approach of the US president, the BRICS is presenting itself as a haven for multilateral diplomacy amid violent conflicts and trade wars. 

In a joint statement from the opening of the BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro released on Sunday afternoon, the group warned the rise in tariffs threatened global trade, continuing its veiled criticism of Trump’s tariff policies. 

Hours later, Trump warned he would punish countries seeking to join with the grouping. 

“Any Country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS, will be charged an ADDITIONAL 10% Tariff. There will be no exceptions to this policy. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. 

Trump did not clarify or expand on the “Anti-American policies” reference in his post. 

Trump’s administration is seeking to finalize dozens of trade deals with a wide range of countries before his July 9 deadline for the imposition of significant “retaliatory tariffs.” 

The original BRICS group gathered leaders from Brazil, Russia, India and China at its first summit in 2009. The bloc later added South Africa and last year included Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, and the UAE as members. �������� has held off formally joining, according to sources, while another 30 nations have expressed interest in participating in the BRICS, either as full members or partners. 

Indonesia’s senior economic minister, Airlangga Hartarto, is in Brazil for the BRICS summit and is scheduled to go to the US on Monday to oversee tariff talks, an official told Reuters. India’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

In opening remarks to the summit earlier, Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva drew a parallel with the Cold War's Non-Aligned Movement, a group of developing nations that resisted joining either side of a polarized global order. 

“BRICS is the heir to the Non-Aligned Movement,” Lula told leaders. “With multilateralism under attack, our autonomy is in check once again.” 

BRICS nations now represent more than half the world’s population and 40 percent of its economic output, Lula noted in remarks on Saturday to business leaders, warning of rising protectionism. 

GROWING CLOUT, COMPLEXITY 

Expansion of the bloc has added diplomatic weight to the gathering, which aspires to speak for developing nations across the Global South, strengthening calls for reforming global institutions such as the UN Security Council and the International Monetary Fund. 

“If international governance does not reflect the new multipolar reality of the 21st century, it is up to BRICS to help bring it up to date,” Lula said in his remarks, which highlighted the failure of US-led wars in the Middle East. 

Stealing some thunder from this year’s summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping chose to send his premier in his place. Russian President Vladimir Putin is attending online due to an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court related to his war in Ukraine. 

Still, several heads of state were gathered for discussions at Rio’s Museum of Modern Art on Sunday and Monday, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. 

However, there are questions about the shared goals of an increasingly heterogeneous BRICS group, which has grown to include regional rivals along with major emerging economies. 

In the joint statement, the leaders called attacks against Iran's “civilian infrastructure and peaceful nuclear facilities” a “violation of international law.” 

The group expressed “grave concern” for the Palestinian people over Israeli attacks on Gaza, and condemned what the joint statement called a “terrorist attack” in India-administered Kashmir. 

The group voiced its support for Ethiopia and Iran to join the World Trade Organization, while calling to urgently restore its ability to resolve trade disputes. 

The leaders’ joint statement backed plans to pilot a BRICS Multilateral Guarantees initiative within the group’s New Development Bank to lower financing costs and boost investment in member states, as first reported by Reuters last week. 

In a separate statement following a discussion of artificial intelligence, the leaders called for protections against unauthorized use of AI to avoid excessive data collection and allow mechanisms for fair payment. 

Brazil, which also hosts the UN climate summit in November, has seized on both gatherings to highlight how seriously developing nations are tackling climate change, while Trump has slammed the brakes on US climate initiatives. 

China and the UAE signaled in meetings with Brazilian Finance Minister Fernando Haddad in Rio that they plan to invest in a proposed Tropical Forests Forever Facility, according to two sources with knowledge of the discussions about funding conservation of endangered forests around the world. 

JEDDAH: Expatriates seeking employment in �������� will now be assessed under a newly introduced skill-based work permit system as the Kingdom moves to streamline its labor market and attract global talent. 

The decision, issued by Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Ahmed Al-Rajhi, classifies foreign workers into three categories — high-skill, skilled, and basic — based on qualifications, experience, technical ability, wage level, and age. The system took effect for new incoming workers on July 1, while the reclassification of existing expatriates began on June 18, according to the Saudi Press Agency and a ministerial notice. 

The Kingdom’s demand for skilled professionals is growing amid a wave of giga-projects, including NEOM, the Red Sea Project, Qiddiya, and Diriyah Gate, which span sectors ranging from construction and design to technology and tourism. These developments require a high concentration of specialized foreign talent to meet tight delivery timelines and global standards. 

The move is part of a broader strategy to enhance productivity, mitigate skill mismatches, and support ��������’s long-term economic objectives under Vision 2030. 

“The measure aims to enhance worker performance, attract global talent to transfer expertise and experience to the Saudi labor market, improve operational efficiency, benefit from international experience, and build an environment that supports innovation and the development of business models,” the SPA report stated. 

Designed to match worker capabilities with market needs, the reform introduces a unified digital evaluation mechanism via the Qiwa platform, aligned with the Unified Saudi Classification of Professions and Educational Levels. 

The new classification is expected to enhance transparency in workforce planning and help businesses access better-qualified workers while encouraging a gradual shift away from reliance on low-skilled labor. 

The move comes amid improving employment indicators. The overall unemployment rate, which includes both Saudis and expatriates, fell to a record low of 2.8 percent in the first quarter of 2025, a 0.7 percentage point decrease from the previous quarter, according to the General Authority for Statistics. Among non-Saudis, the rate declined to 0.8 percent, reflecting strong private sector demand and targeted recruitment aligned with workforce needs.

Expatriates remain a critical part of the labor market, accounting for 15.7 million people, or 44.4 percent of the total population, according to GASTAT data for 2024. Among the working-age group — 15 to 64 years — 89.9 percent of non-Saudis fall within this range, underscoring their role in the Kingdom’s productive sectors. 

The reclassification also ties into the Professional Verification Program, launched in 2021 and expanded in 2024. The initiative, currently covering 128 countries and set to expand to 160, verifies the educational and professional credentials of foreign workers in key fields, such as engineering, healthcare, and education, before they enter the Kingdom. 

Alongside labor market reforms, the government is also monitoring the financial outflows tied to foreign workers. In February alone, remittances by expatriates in �������� totaled SR12.78 billion ($3.41 billion), according to the Saudi Central Bank, reflecting the continued economic contribution of foreign workers to the Kingdom’s economy.

Employers are urged to review their workforce composition and reclassify staff through Qiwa, while workers may submit reassessment requests if they meet the criteria for higher categories, according to the ministry’s guidance manual. A points-based system will ensure flexibility by allowing strengths in certain areas, such as hands-on experience, to offset limitations in formal education. 

The ministry stated that the full guidance manual on the work permit classification system is available on its official website, detailing implementation steps, compliance rules, and evaluation procedures.