Xi and Putin are seeking to expand the alliance of BRICS nations to challenge the global dominance of the US and the dollar

• China's Xi Jinping is in South Africa this week for the BRICS summit.
• China and Russia want to expand the group and challenge the West.
• Putin recently touted de-dollarization and renewed calls to use of local currencies for trade. 

   

At this week's BRICS summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, the future of the world's leading non-Western economies is at stake. 

Russia and China are seeking to remake the alliance, which promotes economic cooperation between members, into a power bloc to challenge the dominance of the US and the dollar.