At BRICS summit, nations work to become a counterpoint to the West

Source: EUROPE SAYS | Original Published At: 2026-09-15 16:07:18 UTC

Key Points

• BRICS leaders met in New Delhi for an annual summit of developing nations and emerging economies.
• Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi appeared together amid border tensions, signaling a shared interest in a greater say in the world order.
• The summit also brought together representatives of countries with regional disagreements, including Iran and the United Arab Emirates.
• Members signed a joint declaration covering trade, finance, artificial intelligence, critical minerals, and global conflicts.
• BRICS members account for about half the world's population, 40% of global GDP, and 26% of global trade, according to the article.
• Trade between BRICS members rose from about $84 billion in 2003 to $1.17 trillion in 2024, per India's Commerce Ministry.
• The bloc remains divided over how aggressively to reduce dependence on the U.S. dollar and Western financial systems.