The 18th BRICS Summit is set to begin in New Delhi in the coming hours. Under India’s 2026 presidency, the summit is guided by the theme "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation, and Sustainability."
According to India’s Press Information Bureau (PIB), this theme reflects New Delhi's focus on consolidating existing achievements and boosting institutional effectiveness. By placing development, sustainability, and innovation at the heart of the agenda, the summit highlights the core aspirations of the Global South. PIB noted that India aims to reinforce BRICS as a constructive, solutions-oriented forum.
The summit has drawn significant global attention due to the presence of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Bilateral discussions—specifically between India and China, India and Russia, and India and Iran—are being closely watched.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already held bilateral talks with his Russian and Iranian counterparts, while his upcoming meeting with President Xi is eagerly anticipated. Ahead of meeting, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson said: "China will work with India to act on the strategic guidance of the two leaders, handle bilateral relations from a strategic height and long-term perspective, step up communication, enhance cooperation, properly handle differences, and be friends enjoying good-neighborliness and partners helping each other succeed.”
Following the deadly 2020 Galwan Valley clash that severely strained bilateral ties, India and China are now delicately working to manage their differences and deepen trade relations.
BRICS now comprises 11 member nations: Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and the UAE. Collectively, these countries represent 49.5% of the world's population, 40% of global GDP, and 26% of global trade—underlining their massive demographic and economic weight. The expanded membership has also significantly broadened the bloc's geographic footprint across Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America.
India’s 2026 BRICS Chairship comes during a period of major global transformation marked by economic fragmentation, technological disruption, and geopolitical uncertainty, alongside mounting climate and resource pressures.
