The Brics group of emerging market powers aims to promote the interests of the developing world and isn’t in competition with any other bloc, a top South African diplomat said.

“There’s an unfortunate narrative being developed that Brics is anti-West, that Brics was created as competition to the G7 or the Global North” and that is incorrect, Anil Sooklal, South Africa’s ambassador to Brics, said at a conference at Bloomberg’s Johannesburg office on Monday.

“What we do seek is to advance the agenda of the Global South and to build a more inclusive, representative, just, fair global architecture.”

Brics, which comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, is scheduled to host its annual summit next week in Johannesburg, where leaders will discuss whether to admit more nations to its ranks. Forty heads of state and government have confirmed their attendance, and that number could rise to about 50, Sooklal said.