2001年,高盛首席经济学家吉姆·奥尼尔(Jim O’Neill)首次提出“金砖国家”这一概念,即巴西、俄罗斯、印度和中国,后来南非加入进来。对很多人来说,金砖国家意味着世界历史新纪元的开始,因为这些国家经济总量占全球总量的比例不断增加,同时追求更多地参与全球政治事务。有人认为其日益增长的实力和对于在全球治理中扮演更重要角色的追求,形成了对西方主导的国际体制的 In 2001, Jim O’Neill, chief economist at Goldman Sachs, first proposed the concept of “BRIC countries”, namely Brazil, Russia, India and China, and later joined by South Africa. For many, the BRICS represent the beginning of a new era in the history of the world as the total economic output of these countries accounts for an ever-increasing share of the global total while pursuing greater participation in global political affairs. Some believe that their growing strength and pursuit of playing a more important role in global governance have led to the development of a system of Western-led international institutions