BRICS Profile Rises at New Delhi Summit but Its Scope Remains Limited

The 18th BRICS summit in New Delhi highlighted the grouping’s growing international profile while also underscoring the difficulties of translating its broad membership and shared positions into coordinated action.

The summit brought together leaders and representatives from BRICS member and partner countries, with China’s President Xi Jinping, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian among those attending. Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva did not attend.

Several Southeast Asian countries also participated in the wider BRICS format, including Indonesia as a member and Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam as partner countries, while the Philippines attended as a guest.

BRICS was formed by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, with its first summit held in 2009. Its membership has since expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, alongside a group of partner countries.

The expanded grouping brings together countries with differing geopolitical interests. Differences between members, including those involving Iran and the UAE and differing positions on Russia’s war in Ukraine, remain among the challenges facing the bloc.

The New Delhi summit nevertheless produced a 45-page declaration covering issues including restraint in West Asia, reform of the United Nations Security Council and the International Monetary Fund, artificial intelligence governance, cross-border payments, national-currency settlements, resilient supply chains and digital public infrastructure.

The declaration did not announce a major new initiative on de-dollarisation. Instead, the emphasis remained on improving payment systems, strengthening economic cooperation and reducing vulnerabilities in areas such as food, energy and supply chains.

BRICS countries collectively represent a significant share of the global population and economy. However, the grouping does not have a mechanism to impose or enforce common rules, leaving many of its commitments dependent on cooperation among individual members.

The grouping has increasingly been associated with efforts to strengthen the voice of the Global South in international institutions. Its agenda has included reform of global governance structures, greater economic cooperation and the development of financial mechanisms outside the traditional Western-led system.

The New Development Bank, established by BRICS in 2015 and headquartered in Shanghai, remains one of the grouping’s principal institutional initiatives.

BRICS has also attracted greater attention amid tensions in relations between the United States and several member countries. At the New Delhi summit, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed that BRICS was not directed against any particular country.

For smaller and middle powers, the expanded BRICS format provides an additional forum for dialogue with major economies and opportunities for economic and strategic cooperation while maintaining relationships with other international partners.

The summit also highlighted India’s approach to BRICS. The country has sought to support a more representative international system and greater agency for developing countries while maintaining economic and technological links with Western economies.

The New Delhi meeting therefore demonstrated both the opportunities and constraints of the expanded BRICS framework. The grouping can provide a platform for dialogue and establish broad areas of consensus, but differences among its members can make coordinated action difficult.

China is set to take over the BRICS chairmanship next year, when the grouping is expected to remain a significant forum for discussions about the changing international order.