By Maria Siow
Even as internal divisions and absent leaders hung over proceedings, this week鈥檚 Brics summit in Brazil delivered an unmistakable message: the world鈥檚 emerging economies are intent on shaping their own destiny, seeking consensus where once there was only Western dominance.
In a joint declaration adopted on Sunday, Brics leaders warned of the threat posed to the global economy by the 鈥渋ndiscriminate鈥 use of tariffs and 鈥減roliferation of trade-restrictive actions鈥 鈥 thinly veiled references to US…