China on Tuesday threw its weight behind plans to expand the Brics club of large emerging economies.

The Brics nations of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, which represent a quarter of the global economy, are meeting for three days and interest in joining the group has surged.

In a speech read on his behalf by Commerce Minister Wang Wentao at the start of the Brics summit in South Africa, President Xi Jinping said "hegemonism is not in China's DNA".

According to the speech, the talks taking place in Johannesburg were not aimed at "asking countries to take sides, or creating bloc confrontation, rather to expand the architect of peace and development".

"Whatever resistance there may be, Brics, a positive and stable force for goodwill continue to grow," according to the speech. "We will forge a stronger Brics strategic partnership... actively advance membership expansion" and "help make the international order more just and equitable".

Xi added that China does not have any motivation to engage in major-power competition, stressing that it stands firmly on the right side of history and believes that a just cause should be pursued for the common good.

"We need to promote development and prosperity for all," according to the speech.

The president's state visit to South Africa, his second international trip this year, comes as Beijing pushes to rapidly expand the group's membership.

But the US does not see Brics "as evolving into some kind of geopolitical rival to the United States," said Jake Sullivan, White House National Security Advisor.

Washington will forge ahead with "strong positive relationships we have with Brazil, India and South Africa," he said, adding "we will continue to manage our relationship with China and we will continue to push back on Russia's aggression".

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is the target of an international arrest warrant over alleged war crimes in Ukraine, did not attend the Brics summit in person and addressed it via pre-recorded video.

Brics is also championing its own development bank as an alternative to the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, and proposals to reduce the use of the US dollar in global trade. (Xinhua/AFP)