BRICS Have Many Divisions

Source: Il Post | Original Published At: 2026-09-11 07:18:31 UTC

Key Points

• The BRICS summit will be held in New Delhi, and it will mark Chinese President Xi Jinping's first visit to India since 2009.
• A key risk is that BRICS members may again fail to reach agreement on major issues, as happened in previous meetings.
• BRICS has expanded from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa to include Egypt, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates, Iran and Indonesia, representing nearly half of the global population and about 40% of world GDP.
• Internal differences include leadership, with China seen by some as dominant and contested by others, especially India, and divergent views on whether BRICS should replace the West or diversify relations with it.
• Wars involving Russia and Iran have increased tensions, including over the United Arab Emirates, and previous foreign-minister meetings failed to issue a joint communiqué on the war.
• Economic and development-model differences also divide members: China and Brazil invest in electrification and energy transition, while Russia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates depend heavily on hydrocarbon exports.
• Despite divisions, BRICS remains politically and economically significant, with increased intra-group trade and initiatives to reduce dependence on the US dollar.