Malaysia is preparing to join the BRICS, a group of countries with emerging economies, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said, UNN reports citing Reuters.
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The BRICS group of countries originally consisted of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, which gave it its acronym.
Last year, the group began expanding its membership in an effort to challenge the world order dominated by Western economies: Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, Argentina, and the United Arab Emirates joined the group, and more than 40 countries have expressed interest, the publication writes.
"We have made a decision, we will soon begin formal procedures... we are just waiting for the final results from the South African government," Anwar said in an interview with the Chinese media outlet Guancha.
A representative of Anwar's office confirmed the comments to Reuters on Tuesday.
During the interview, he did not provide details about the application process.
Anwar's comments came ahead of a three-day visit by Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang this week to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and China.
During Li's visit, Malaysia and China are expected to sign several agreements, including the extension of a five-year trade and economic cooperation agreement.
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