appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

SCMP Editorial

India’s public preparations for this weekend’s Brics summit in New Delhi are not to be compared with the spectacular display for the Group of 20 summit three years ago.
The low-key approach to the meeting of leaders of emerging major economies and developing countries from the Global South can be misleading. What Brics may lack in pomp it makes up for in substance, such as the landmark in relations between the world’s two most populous nations.
The occasion marks the first visit to India in close to seven years by Chinese President Xi Jinping. It includes a summit between Xi and his host, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, expected on Saturday on the sidelines of the formal proceedings.
Coming less than two weeks ahead of Xi’s expected visit to the United States on September 24 for a summit with US President Donald Trump, the Xi-Modi meeting will be closely watched from Washington to Moscow. The US is India’s biggest export market while Russia is a major arms and energy supplier.
The Brics grouping was formed 20 years ago by Brazil, Russia, India and China – they were soon joined by South Africa – as a counterweight to the Group of Seven of rich, developed nations.
It has become a credible voice for the Global South, having expanded into a group spanning Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. It includes energy exporters, manufacturing powers, emerging economies and countries with sharply divergent relationships with Washington and Beijing.
The Delhi summit is ultimately a test of whether Brics can mobilise all this diversity for the common good. It has never had the clear leadership of the kind to be found, for example, in the G7, and needs to find more common ground and forge greater cooperation. That said, Brics has still achieved extraordinary development, all things considered.
The significance of the Delhi event is that it is likely to emerge as a milestone in unity of the bloc. Its members increasingly realise they need to band together to fend off geopolitical risks, including a more aggressive and assertive US, and navigate a geopolitically unstable environment.
In that regard, the summit has a particularly apt official theme: “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”.
For many years Brics has been troubled by the relationship between China and India, including border conflicts amid prevailing tension. By attending the Brics meeting and holding bilateral talks with Modi, Xi is trying to improve relations and narrow differences. There is a positive message there for the bloc at large, which stands to emerge in a stronger position in terms of enhanced regional stability.
As part of China’s strategy to maintain a stable regional environment, Xi has undertaken a month of diplomatic travel leading up to the expected summit with US President Trump. First, he visited Kyrgyzstan for the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, then – for the first time in 10 years – Egypt, before this weekend’s visit to India.
This contrasts with the earlier part of the year, which saw Xi mainly staying in Beijing and hosting a succession of visiting foreign leaders. The positive signals of stability in Asia being sent will help China undertake negotiations with the US from a position of strength.
For India and China, this weekend’s multilateral and bilateral summits will be a good opportunity for Modi and Xi to consolidate the reduction of border tension. The two sides have gradually come to an understanding on de-escalating and disengaging in the disputed area.
From time to time, however, there are still reports of outbreaks of tension. Hopefully Xi’s visit will help the two sides institutionalise the agreement reached after the conflict and gradually improve relations.
On the economic side, India is facing persistent outflow of foreign capital on top of US tariffs and a trade deficit with China.
An improved bilateral diplomatic relationship could pave the way for India to seek better economic relations with China and also encourage more Chinese investment in India.
The Brics summit is shaping up as a significant occasion for the Global South and beyond.


Reporter’s note: two Delhis, one weekend – when the world came to dinner

Anwar was on song in India. Will Malaysia reap the rewards?

What China really means when it says it’s being ‘strategic’

Trump signs bill targeting China’s Russia energy imports days before Xi’s US visit

Brics

Brics summit could emerge as milestone in bloc’s unity

Security officers stand guard beside Brics summit banners bearing images of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping in New Delhi, India, on September 11. Photo: AP 

Delhi’s test: make Brics work without making it work against India

Passengers wait at a bus stop with a signboard featuring India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on September 3, ahead of the Brics summit this weekend. Photo: Reuters

An Indian worker arranges iron and stainless steel rods at an industrial area in Bhayandar on the outskirts of Mumbai, India, on August 21. Photo: EPA

China’s Xi sends a strong message before his US visit

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan are welcomed by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and his wife Entissar Amer upon their arrival at Cairo International Airport on September 1. Photo: Xinhua via AP

Despite rivalry, China-India coexistence is not a pipe dream

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, (left) and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands during the welcoming ceremony of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin on August 31, 2025. Photo: AFP

Guests gather to check out Xiaomi’s newly launched products at an event in Bangalore, India, in September 2019. Photo: AP 

India needs to make up its mind about economic ties with China

Illustration: Victor Sanjinez

Opinion

The expected meeting between the leaders of China and India on the sidelines of the multilateral summit bodes well for stability in Asia


The expected meeting between the leaders of China and India on the sidelines of the multilateral summit bodes well for stability in Asia.


Diplomacy

Xi Jinping

Narendra Modi

India

Russia

Global South

China

South Africa

Kyrgyzstan

Brazil

United States

Egypt

Donald Trump

Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)


Column

Editorial

Brics summit could emerge as milestone in bloc’s unity

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The expected meeting between the leaders of China and India on the sidelines of the multilateral summit bodes well for stability in Asia

The expected meeting between the leaders of China and India on the sidelines of the multilateral summit bodes well for stability in Asia