Leaders of the expanded BRICS grouping are meeting in New Delhi today (Saturday) as wars in Ukraine and the Middle East and growing tensions between the United States and China test the bloc's ability to find common ground.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is hosting Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and leaders from the other BRICS member states at the two-day summit.
The 11-member grouping is seeking a greater role in shaping the global agenda for developing and emerging economies, with discussions expected to focus on trade, investment, global governance and reducing dependence on Western-dominated financial systems.
But the expanded membership has also brought together countries with sharply different geopolitical interests, making consensus more difficult.
The summit comes as the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East continue to disrupt global trade, energy markets and transport, while tensions between Washington and Beijing add another layer of uncertainty to the global economy.
For India, the summit is also a diplomatic balancing act. New Delhi maintains close strategic and economic ties with Russia while seeking stronger relations with the United States and Europe and managing a cautious thaw with China.
Xi's attendance marks his first visit to India in seven years. Relations between the Asian powers deteriorated after a deadly border clash in 2020, but ties have gradually improved following an agreement to ease tensions along their disputed frontier.
Putin arrived in New Delhi yesterday (Friday) and held talks with Modi, with the two leaders discussing trade, defence, energy and other areas of strategic cooperation.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is also attending the summit, where he is expected to push Pretoria's economic and diplomatic priorities.
Ramaphosa has identified expanding intra-BRICS trade and investment, promoting industrialisation and value addition, and mobilising investment for African infrastructure as key priorities for South Africa.
He is also participating in discussions on global governance, including reform of the United Nations system, the international financial architecture and the multilateral trading system.
On the economic front, Ramaphosa is engaging Indian business leaders on strengthening bilateral trade and investment, including opportunities in pharmaceuticals, infrastructure, critical minerals and the electric-vehicle battery value chain.
The summit is being held under India's chairship theme, “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Security”, with leaders also expected to consider ways of strengthening cooperation in areas including technology, energy and finance.
The meeting will test whether BRICS can translate its growing economic and geopolitical weight into a more coherent voice on the global stage.
The summit runs until Sunday.
- AFP with additional reporting by The National