South Africa has received a formal invitation to join the Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) group of large emerging economies, Foreign Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane said on Friday.

"On 23 December 2010, the Minister of International Relations and Co-operation of the Republic of South Africa, Ms Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, received a telephone call from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Mr Yang Jiechi - informing her that China, in its capacity as the rotating Chairperson of the BRIC (Brazil, Russian Federation, India, China) formation, based on agreement reached between the BRIC Member States, invites South Africa as a full member into BRICS," Minister Nkoana-Mashabane said in a statement.

She said President Hu Jintao also issued a letter of invitation to President Jacob Zuma to attend the 3rd BRICS Leaders' Summit to be held in China in 2011.

Nkoana-Mashabane said Minister Yang conveyed that China believed that South Africa's accession would promote the development of BRICS and enhance co-operation among emerging market economies.

On behalf of Zuma and the South African government, Nkoana-Mashabane expressed the country's appreciation for the invitation to join BRICS, as well as the invitation from President Hu to attend the Summit.

Nkoana-Mashabane emphasised that South Africa was ready to step up communication and co-ordination with China and other BRICS member states for mutually beneficial co-operation.

She wrote to her BRIC counterparts in 2009 to raise the possibility of South Africa's BRIC membership. President Zuma subsequently met with BRIC leaders in the course of 2010.

"Our approach to intensifying our relations with emerging powers and other countries of the South is, of course, through active and strong bilateral engagement. In addition, however, we also see the Non Aligned Movement and the G77 as important for South-South interaction, especially within the framework of the United Nations," said the minister.

"At another level, we see the formation of the IBSA and our membership of that body as a mechanism not only for enhancing our trilateral partnership with India and Brazil, but also as an important pillar for strengthening the muscle of the South in global affairs."

The five members now include Brazil, Russian Federation, India, China and South Africa.