India is hosting the 18th BRICS summit in Delhi, aiming to steer the bloc toward practical cooperation while avoiding an anti-Western stance.
Key facts
- •The 18th BRICS summit is being held in Delhi with 11 members, including new additions Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates.
- •India’s new slogan for the summit is "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability."
- •BRICS member states represent nearly 50% of the world's population and about 40% of global GDP.
- •Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to attend the summit, while Chinese President Xi Jinping's attendance is widely anticipated but not formally confirmed.
- •Analysts expect the summit to focus on practical cooperation in trade, monetary policy, and agriculture rather than overt geopolitical bloc politics.
India is hosting the 18th BRICS summit in Delhi this weekend, introducing a new slogan, "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability," to unify the group's original five members and its five new additions. As the current chair, India is attempting to maintain the bloc's focus on neutral, practical cooperation while navigating internal tensions and avoiding an anti-Western trajectory.
By the numbers
Geopolitical Balancing and Bilateral Ties
India’s leadership of the summit is seen as a move to keep the bloc low-key and avoid offending Russia or China, despite India’s increasing strategic alignment with the United States. The summit provides a platform for high-stakes bilateral meetings, including a planned encounter between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as well as a potential face-to-face discussion between Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping amid ongoing border strains. While the summit carries increased geopolitical weight due to India's status, experts remain skeptical about the potential for substantive outcomes. The group faces significant internal contradictions, including a mix of democratic and autocratic regimes and tense bilateral relations between various member states, which complicates efforts to reach consensus.
Focus Areas and Future Outlook
Despite the challenges of maintaining coherence within an expanded 11-member bloc, analysts expect discussions to center on trade, monetary cooperation, and agriculture. Specifically, there is potential for progress regarding alternative financial architectures for currency exchange and coordinated approaches to World Trade Organization (WTO) policies, where India finds common ground with other members. BRICS members currently account for nearly half of the world's population and approximately 40% of global GDP. However, the bloc continues to struggle with its purpose and internal unity. While the group remains focused on functional cooperation and global governance reform, experts suggest that the lack of internal cohesion and external pressures, such as global trade tensions, will likely limit the summit's overall impact.
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This article was independently rewritten by ManyPress editorial AI from reporting originally published by Deutsche Welle Business.
