भारत मंडपम येथे १८ व्या ब्रिक्स शिखर परिषदेचे आयोजन; चिनी...

By GT24x7 Reporter · 10 September 2026 · GlobalToday24x7

India has assumed center stage in global multilateral diplomacy as it hosts the 18th BRICS Leaders' Summit at the Bharat Mandapam convention complex in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. Convening under India's 2026 chairship theme, "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability," the high-profile gathering represents an expanded 11-nation bloc encompassing major emerging economies from Asia, Africa, South America, and West Asia. Collectively accounting for nearly 49 percent of the global population and approximately 40 percent of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the forum serves as a primary platform for steering South-South cooperation and advocating reforms within Western-dominated international governance institutions.

The high-level gathering will witness the in-person participation of several global leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, alongside delegations from newly incorporated member states. A focal point of international diplomatic interest is the arrival of Chinese President Xi Jinping, marking his first visit to Indian soil in seven years since the 2019 informal summit in Mamallapuram. On the sidelines of the multilateral sessions, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi are scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting aimed at evaluating frontier peace, cross-border commercial ties, and stabilizing the broader geopolitical relationship following the military crisis of 2020.

Key Developments and High-Level Engagements

The summit agenda seeks to convert multilateral dialogue into actionable socio-economic deliverables across strategic sectors:

* Bilateral Engagement between India and China: The sideline dialogue between Prime Minister Modi and President Xi is set to address border management mechanisms, regularizing regional trade, and establishing structured communication channels between the two Asian economies. * Multilateral Agenda and Supply Chains: Delegations will conduct extensive negotiations on logistics resilience, cross-border payments utilizing local-currency settlement mechanisms, startup and incubator networks, disaster management frameworks, and energy security. * Institutional Global Reforms: Member states are expected to adopt a joint declaration reaffirming adherence to the United Nations Charter, international law, civilian protection, and an equitable multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization (WTO) at its foundation.

Domestic Political Debate and Strategic Perspectives

Ahead of the summit proceedings, the strategic relevance and tangible dividends of India's participation in BRICS became the subject of domestic political debate. Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister P. Chidambaram raised questions regarding the concrete outcomes achieved by New Delhi through the grouping, questioning whether summits over the past two to three cycles had produced tangible benefits for the country while pointing out India's simultaneous engagements in other multilateral forums such as the G20, SCO, and the Quad.

Government representatives and ruling party spokespersons countered the remarks, asserting that multilateral diplomacy cannot be viewed through a narrow transactional lens. Strategic analysts and trade proponents highlighted that India's active participation in BRICS safeguards its strategic autonomy and multi-alignment doctrine, preventing any single nation or Western bloc from exercising disproportionate geopolitical leverage.

Economic Dividends and Institutional Financing

Proponents of the partnership pointed to substantive trade and financial figures demonstrating India's growing engagement with fellow BRICS economies:

* Bilateral and Multilateral Trade Growth: India's merchandise exports to BRICS partner countries have scaled to $95.7 billion, with cumulative bilateral trade volume exceeding $400 billion. * Infrastructure Financing via NDB: Thr...