Malaysia is planning on joining the BRICS economic bloc.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said that he has decided to apply for membership and will start filing the official paperwork soon.

He spoke about his decision during an interview with the Chinese outlet Guancha published on Sunday.

“We have made our policy clear and we have made our decision. We will start the formal process soon,” Anwar said. “We are waiting for the final result and the feedback from the South African government.”

The organization was founded in 2006 by Brazil, Russia, India and China with South Africa joining in 2011. In January, BRICS officially admitted Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

RT reports: Kuala Lumpur’s potential membership in the organization would be of strategic significance, as one of the world’s most important shipping lanes – the Malacca Strait, connecting the Pacific and the Indian Ocean – is located between Malaysia and the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

According to Anwar, Malaysia is “relieved” that the world is no longer unipolar, and that the rise of BRICS and China in particular has offered “a glimmer of hope that there are checks and balances in the world.”

The West wants to “control the discourse” in the world, but “we can no longer accept it because they are no longer a colonial power and independent countries should be free to express themselves,” the Malaysian prime minister told Guancha.

Earlier this month, Russian Ambassador to China Igor Morgulov said that about 30 countries have voiced a desire to join BRICS. In Malaysia’s neighborhood, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Vietnam have already made overtures to the group. 

The 2024 BRICS summit is scheduled for October in Kazan, Russia. Moscow has presided over the organization since January.