BRICS Summit in New Delhi: Xi Unveils 'Greater BRICS' Initiatives, Modi and Putin Push for Global South Role
At the BRICS summit in New Delhi, Xi Jinping announced new cooperation initiatives, while Modi and Putin urged a larger global role for the expanded bloc.
Chinese President Xi Jinping announced a series of initiatives to deepen cooperation among the "Greater BRICS" emerging economies at the group's annual summit in New Delhi on Sunday, as Beijing pushes to turn the grouping into a practical platform for Global South development.
Addressing the closing session, Xi said the success of the "Greater BRICS Initiative" depends on building a solid foundation for pragmatic cooperation. He called on member nations to strengthen cooperation, maintain stable industrial and supply chains, and work towards an integrated market.
Among the proposals, China will take the lead in establishing a BRICS AI Open Source Zone to promote collaboration on large language models, AI training and an open AI ecosystem. Xi also proposed a BRICS Special Economic Zone partnership and said China would host a BRICS Service Trade Forum next year to boost trade and investment ties.
The grouping, which originally comprised Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa two decades ago, has expanded to include Iran, Indonesia, Egypt, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates. A further 10 partner countries span emerging economies across Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East, broadening its reach across the Global South. China and Russia sometimes refer to this larger bloc as "Greater BRICS." India holds the chair in 2026, with China set to take over in 2027.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in earlier remarks that the benefits of solutions developed within BRICS should not remain limited to the bloc alone, but should be made adaptable and accessible to meet the needs of the Global South.
Russian President Vladimir Putin described BRICS as a powerful driving force towards creating a new, fairer and multipolar world order, and urged members to find ways to combine the competitive advantages of their individual economies.
The summit took place amid renewed fighting in the Gulf region, with tit-for-tat attacks by the United States and Iran and Iran-backed Houthis widening the conflict through strikes on Saudi Arabia. On Saturday, the weekend summit achieved a diplomatic breakthrough by forging consensus on a joint declaration backed by both Iran and the UAE. The declaration expressed deep concern over the continued escalation of tension in the Middle East and urged maximum restraint.
On the sidelines, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi in the highest-level meeting between officials of the two countries since the start of the conflict. They discussed de-escalation, stability and efforts to advance regional peace and development.