BRICS Summit in India Seeks Unity Amid Global Tensions
The BRICS summit in New Delhi brought together 28 nations, including China and Iran, aiming to counter Western influence.
India hosted the annual BRICS summit, gathering leaders from 28 countries including the presidents of China and Iran. The United States was notably absent from the two-day meeting of the group, which aims to counter long-standing Western dominance in global affairs.
BRICS, founded by Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, has since expanded to 11 official members. These nations collectively represent half of the world's population. The summit's final statement included a call from members, including Iran and the United Arab Emirates, for "maximum restraint" in the Middle East conflict.
Iran and UAE Find Common Ground
The meeting help a one-on-one discussion between Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and the Emirati crown prince. This occurred despite months of strikes between Iran and some Persian Gulf nations. Retired U.S. Ambassador Daniel Kritenbrink called the joint call for restraint "quite a feat," suggesting it reflects deep unease about global disruption. He linked this disruption to policies from the Trump administration, starting with a trade war and extending to the impacts of the Iran war.
A Cautious India-China Thaw
Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to India was his first since a deadly 2020 border clash that killed more than 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers. Experts suggest Washington's influence played a role in the visit. Kritenbrink noted that with Xi scheduled to be in Washington in less than two weeks, stabilizing relations with India was advantageous. For India, engaging with BRICS partners shows it has options, especially as relations with the Trump administration soured following the imposition of 50% tariffs, later rescinded by the Supreme Court.
Sidharth Raimedhi of the Council for Strategic and Defense Research in New Delhi cautions that the meeting does not signify real progress. He points to differing post-meeting statements: China highlighted partnership, while India emphasized resolving the border conflict. Raimedhi interprets China's outreach as a signal to other nations about the benefits of cooperation, suggesting a message of "please get in line or else your industries will rot and suffer."
China's Looming Dominance
With China set to host the BRICS summit next year, concerns are growing about its increasing influence within the bloc. Sarang Shidore, director of the Global South Program at the Quincy Institute, stated that "Beijing will certainly look at it as an opportunity to shows its leadership." He added that China aims to take advantage of this opportunity created by U.S. Policy missteps and its own economic rise. This shift raises the prospect that a group intended to diminish Western dominance could instead become a platform for Chinese supremacy.
The summit featured performances broadcast by Indian state media echoing BRICS's ambitions for a better world. Yet experts consistently note the group has fallen short of its goals, such as creating strong alternatives to trading in U.S. Dollars. The event ultimately served as a diplomatic stage for negotiation and positioning ahead of a key year under Chinese stewardship.
