Chinese President Xi Jinping received a red-carpet welcome in New Delhi on Saturday for the 18th Brics Summit, marking his first visit to India in seven years and a public display of thawing relations between the regional rivals as they navigate shifting global dynamics.
Red Carpets and Reconciliation: A High-Stakes Return to India
As Chinese President Xi Jinping stepped off his plane in New Delhi, an honour guard of Indian soldiers and traditional dancers in colourful dresses greeted him on the tarmac. Scheduled for September 12 to 13, the arrival marks Xi’s first visit to India in seven years, serving as the biggest step toward reconciliation following a deadly 2020 military clash along the disputed Himalayan border that left 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers dead.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is hosting the annual gathering of the 11-nation bloc of emerging economies, having already welcomed the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian. Other leaders convening for the weekend summit include Indonesia’s Prabowo Subianto, South African leader Cyril Ramaphosa, and Abdel Fattah al-Sisi of Egypt. Ties between the nuclear-armed Asian giants have gradually warmed, with flights and high-level contacts restored ahead of the conference. China’s foreign ministry stated on Friday that Beijing is willing to work with India to properly manage differences and serve as good neighbours and friends, as well as mutually supportive partners, according to a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Xi and Modi are also holding bilateral talks, marking their third meeting in three years.
Global Flashpoints and Diverging Visions for the Bloc
The summit unfolds against a backdrop of acute international turbulence. Discussions are shaped by the geopolitical tensions triggered by the war on Iran started by the United States and Israel, alongside the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, which has continued for more than four years and disrupted global energy supplies, trade, and transport. Addressing the assembly, Xi urged member states to help advance peace in the Middle East.
Xi Jinping, Chinese President, via Anadolu Ajansı
The situation in the Middle East and the Gulf region continues to evolve, the war there has caused serious losses to people across the region and does not serve the common interests of the international community,
Xi said during the BRICS Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi, according to state-run Xinhua News Agency.
Xi called on Brics nations to firmly stand on the right side of history, stating that Beijing will work with other members to play their due role in achieving peace and tranquility in the Middle East and Gulf region. Beyond security crises, internal fractures remain visible within the bloc. Founded in 2009 as a counterweight to Western dominance, the grouping has expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, collectively representing about 49.5% of the world’s population, 40% of global GDP, and 26% of global trade, according to figures cited by BRICS.
Yet, rapid expansion has introduced friction. Iran was bombing Saudi Arabia and the UAE earlier this year, and Brics foreign ministers failed to agree on a joint statement when they met in Delhi in May. Analysts point to contrasting ambitions within the alliance. Jiang Shixue, vice-president of the expert committee of the China thinktank Council for BRICs cooperation (China), told the South China Morning Post that the 11 members cannot speak with one voice on many issues,
adding that the only solution is to continuously strengthen political consensus.
While Beijing seeks to expand Brics power as a counterweight to the US under Donald Trump’s leadership—which has launched global tariff and trade wars and retreated from multilateral institutions such as the UN—India maintains a more cautious stance, viewing the platform as a bridge between the West and the developing world. Chietigj Bajpaee, a senior research fellow for South Asia in the Asia-Pacific programme at Chatham House, noted that Delhi has found it hard to maintain its policy of strategic hedging.
Shaping Global Governance and Next Steps
During the summit sessions, Xi described the BRICS cooperation mechanism as the world's most influential platform for cooperation among emerging markets and developing countries.
Stressing opposition to a Cold War mentality and bloc confrontation,
he called on the emerging economies bloc to oppose violations of other countries' sovereignty, interference in their internal affairs.
Rejecting all forms of protectionism,
the Chinese leader urged the BRICS to lead global governance in cyberspace, outer space, deep sea, and amplify the voice of the Global South.
He also emphasized upholding United Nations authority and strengthening cooperation in artificial intelligence, while urging members to take the lead in promoting mutual learning among civilizations and improving global governance.
Delegates in New Delhi are working toward a generic joint declaration that would show unity by condemning unilateral war, though Reuters reported that the text was unlikely to name any single country. On Sunday, the BRICS leaders are scheduled to attend an open session titled Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability: Shaping the Future for Inclusive Global Growth.
Following the conclusion of India’s host term, China will take over the rotating BRICS presidency next year, setting the stage for the subsequent summit following the prior gathering held in Rio de Janeiro in 2025.
