The question about BRICS sometimes comes up: is it any serious, or just a circlejerk?
Maybe we should see it as a complementary organization next to United Nations. Kinda like an economic arm.
The US and her allies are basically the boss and the lackeys situation. But how China and Russia spin their merry band is different. Perhaps because they don't have the power to act like the US, but still, BRICS has India for example which is pretty much has a beef with China, and rising power on her on right, and the new members preserve their free will no matter how weak they are. They seek to conduct mutually beneficial business with each other, while respecting each own business. I'm pretty sure some profit more than others but they don't seek to create exclusive ties, and client states. For now.
BRICS is a cooperation of sovereign countries. The UN is supposed to be an organ that acts as a mediator between sovereign countries. Sure BRICS are 5 countries at the moment but this year the buzz was loud and 6 other countries are expected to enter on January 1st and 14 others showed interest in joining. The numbers are still far from the 193 UN members, but BRICS offers easier business opportunities, and everyone likes to earn money without the need to adapt certain political views and agendas what the US/Western ties come with. Even Russia and China aren't the Soviet Union which demanded Marxist conversion from anyone they "saved" from the capitalist imperialism - all countries can have their own system whatever may that be.
So the US can have her own block, playing the puppet master with the West, but the Rest will find its own path. And I highly suspect that some of the US clients will consider to open towards BRICS.