The two-day 18th BRICS Summit 2026 will conclude today (September 13) after the first day was marked by a joint declaration overcoming sharp divisions between Iran and the UAE over the West Asia conflict, and a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
New Delhi Declaration
On Saturday (September 12), the BRICS grouping adopted a joint declaration that was severely critical of Israel for continuing violence in Gaza and called for fulfilling aspirations of Palestinian people even though it was mum on Russia’s war on Ukraine.
BRICS, without naming the US, also voiced serious concerns over proliferation of “trade-restrictive actions” such as “indiscriminate” tariffs and non-tariff measures as well as protectionism, saying they threatened to further reduce global trade, disrupt global supply chains, potentially exacerbating existing economic disparities.
Read the full New Delhi Declaration here.
The grouping came out against “unilateral sanctions” and “coercive measures” that are contrary to international law, in what is seen as a veiled criticism of Western economic sanctions on Russia.
Modi holds talks with Xi
In their talks on the sidelines of the BRICS summit, PM Modi and Chinese President Xi reaffirmed that both the countries should take a strategic and long-term perspective of their ties and differences should not become disputes, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.
PM Modi conveyed to President Xi that peace and tranquillity along the frontier remains “essential” for development of India-China relations, even as the two leaders welcomed “steady progress” in the bilateral ties.
A Chinese readout said Xi made four specific points on promoting the steady and sustained development of China-India relations that included calibrating the direction of the ties with a clear objective to move forward and considering each other as partners rather than rivals.
Modi’s opening address
The two-day BRICS Summit started in New Delhi on Saturday with the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”. In his opening address, Modi proposed a 10-point roadmap for global governance reform under the BRICS framework and advocated for a “Seafarers’ Emergency Support Network” to safeguard sailors facing heightened risks from ongoing global and regional crises.
India assumed its fourth BRICS chairship on January 1. The year 2026 also marks a milestone as BRICS completes 20 years since its establishment.
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