Xi's BRICS Message Offers Little New Substance as India Resists an Anti-US Bloc: Experts

Analysts say Beijing seeks to use BRICS as a counterweight to the United States and the West, but its members pursue different agendas and lack mutual trust.

Xi's BRICS Message Offers Little New Substance as India Resists an Anti-US Bloc: Experts

TL;DR

  • Xi Jinping's speeches at the 2026 BRICS summit in India repeated calls against unilateralism, power politics, and protectionism.
  • The New Delhi Declaration reaffirmed commitment to multilateralism and a WTO-centered trading system.
  • BRICS leaders expressed concern over unilateral tariffs, protectionism, and non-tariff measures inconsistent with WTO rules.
  • The declaration condemned unilateral coercive measures, including certain economic and secondary sanctions, as contrary to international law.
  • Analysts believe Xi's remarks lacked new substance and that the summit highlighted limitations in China's ability to shape BRICS into an anti-Western political bloc.