ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the potential opportunities and underlying threats to Pretoria's entry into the BRICS club, its relevance to China's African engagements cannot ignore. Beijing's extension of itself in inviting Pretoria to become the fifth BRIC raises a significant set of issues in respect of China's global identity in terms of international agency. With the exception of the name change of the Department of Foreign Affairs to that of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) which, in general terms could have signified a more closely aligned foreign policy to domestic issues, very little initial differentiation could be discerned around South Africa's foreign-policy ideals and priorities as defined by the Mbeki regime. President Zuma used each occasion to push South Africa's credentials as a potential member of BRIC by showcasing what he termed the immense trade and investment opportunities that South Africa could offer as well as Pretoria's geo-strategic significance.
