Shaping the Global South's Future: China's Message at the New Delhi BRICS Summit

The 18th BRICS Summit recently took place in New Delhi, India. At the summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping described BRICS as the world's most influential platform for emerging markets. He called on the bloc to stand on the right side of history against unilateralism and power politics.

Challenging the US Dollar and Western Dominance

BRICS leaders at the summit stood united against what they called Western dictatorship, unfair tariff policies, unilateral sanctions, and confrontational attitudes. This resulted in the adoption of the "New Delhi Declaration 2026" — a 45-page document approved unanimously by all member states. It calls for member countries to use their own currencies instead of the US dollar in mutual trade, along with building faster, cheaper payment systems. However, there's no immediate plan for a single common BRICS currency — the focus instead is on making local-currency trade easier and more accessible.

Reforming the UN and Global Institutions

The summit called for greater representation of Asian, African, and Latin American countries on the UN Security Council. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made it clear that old-era institutions can no longer run a changed world — equal participation from the Global South, he said, is now essential.

The China-India Geopolitical Equation

This marked Xi Jinping's first visit to India in nearly seven years. Setting aside long-standing border tensions, President Xi and PM Modi held bilateral talks that signaled an effort to rebuild the relationship on firmer ground. Analysts say this shift has further strengthened the BRICS alliance as a whole.