India’s Opportunity to Put BRICS Back Together

Context

1. The 18th BRICS Summit is scheduled in New Delhi on September 12–13, 2026, with India as the chair.
2. India’s presidency provides an opportunity to bring greater coherence and direction to the expanded grouping.

BRICS and Its Original Purpose

1. BRICS was created by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa to give emerging economies a stronger voice in global governance, particularly in financial and economic institutions.
2. India viewed the grouping as a means of creating a more equitable multilateral order.
3. India hosted the 2012 BRICS Summit, its first as host, under the theme “Global Stability, Security and Prosperity.”
4. Its presidency contributed to the creation of the New Development Bank and pushed for a counter-terrorism architecture within BRICS.

China’s Growing Influence

1. China increasingly treated BRICS as a counterweight to Western dominance and used BRICS-Plus and BRICS Outreach to expand its engagement with the Global South.
2. In 2010, BRICS members together accounted for nearly 20% of world GDP, adding to the grouping’s strategic importance.
3. China did not support the demand of India, Brazil and South Africa for permanent seats on the UN Security Council.
4. India therefore shifted greater attention towards intra-BRICS cooperation and consolidation while also balancing China’s influence.

Expansion and Strain on Consensus

1. Consensus has traditionally helped BRICS accommodate differences among its members.
2. India and Brazil resisted arrangements that could weaken this principle. The 2019 Brasilia Summit was consequently held with only the five original members and without invited guests.
3. Under the Russian presidency in 2020, a non-consensus chair’s statement was issued on COVID-19.
4. The same difficulty surfaced at the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ meeting in New Delhi in May 2026 when members could not reach agreement.
5. BRICS has now expanded to 11 members with the addition of Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Indonesia, besides the original five. It also has 10 partner countries.
6. Differences among the expanded membership have raised concerns that bilateral disputes could weaken the grouping, similar to the experience of SAARC.

“Non-West” versus “Anti-West”

1. India wants BRICS to remain a “non-West” grouping rather than develop into an “anti-West” bloc.
2. This distinction has become more important amid China-US competition, the Russia-Ukraine war and the conflict involving Iran, the US and Israel.
3. India also faces tensions with the US over punitive tariffs, proposed measures on Russian oil, pressure on the Quad and growing US engagement with Pakistan.
4. Several BRICS members, however, prefer to engage with multiple centres of power instead of aligning exclusively with China or Russia.

Emergence of Parallel Global Structures

1. The source highlights growing competition between the US and China to shape new international systems outside existing institutions.
2. Major areas include Artificial Intelligence, digital and internet governance, data ownership, 5G/6G, telecommunications, satellite navigation and electric vehicles.
3. China’s initiatives include the World AI Cooperation Organisation, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Belt and Road Initiative and Digital Silk Road.
4. China has also promoted de-dollarisation and a possible common BRICS currency. However, members have shown limited support for a renminbi-dominated currency.
5. Greater preference exists for national-currency transactions, payment-system linkages and central bank digital currencies. China is also formally launching mBridge, an alternative payment system.
6. India does not favour an alternative Bretton Woods system dominated by China.

India’s Agenda for BRICS

1. India has promoted “reformed multilateralism”, which seeks changes in existing international institutions rather than creating parallel systems.
2. Prime Minister Narendra Modi first articulated this approach at the 2018 BRICS Summit in South Africa. In 2019, India, Brazil and South Africa included it in the Brasilia Summit document.
3. India’s 2026 chairship is based on Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability, guided by “Humanity First” and a people-centric approach.
4. India seeks to use the Delhi Summit to manage differences, strengthen cooperation and restore BRICS as a platform for Global South middle powers.
5. Despite limitations such as China’s disproportionate influence and the absence of some other middle powers, BRICS retains significant geopolitical and geo-economic potential.

India’s Opportunity to Put BRICS Back Together FAQs

Q1. Why was BRICS created?
Ans: BRICS was established to strengthen the voice of emerging economies in global governance and seek a more equitable international order, especially in financial and economic institutions.

Q2. Why is the consensus principle important for BRICS?
Ans: Members have major political and strategic differences. Consensus provides a common basis for cooperation, while repeated non-consensus decisions could weaken the grouping’s cohesion.

Q3. Why has BRICS expansion created difficulties?
Ans: Adding more members has brought additional political interests and bilateral disputes into the grouping. This makes agreement on common positions more difficult.

Q4. What is meant by India’s “non-West” approach?
Ans: India supports a more balanced global order without turning BRICS into a bloc directed against Western countries.

Q5. What does “reformed multilateralism” mean?
Ans: It means reforming existing international institutions to make them more representative and effective rather than replacing them with separate structures.

Q6. Why has a common BRICS currency received limited support?
Ans: Members are uncomfortable with a renminbi-dominated arrangement. They instead favour greater use of national currencies, linked payment systems and central bank digital currencies.

Q7. Why does India consider BRICS important for the Global South?
Ans: BRICS provides a platform through which Global South middle powers can seek greater influence in global affairs while maintaining relations with different centres of power.