• India will host the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12–13, 2026, under the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.”
• The summit is significant as BRICS faces challenges of internal differences and maintaining unity after its expansion to 11 members. India aims to strengthen cooperation and restore BRICS’ original reform-oriented focus.

About BRICS

• BRICS originated as an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — conceived to give emerging economies a greater voice in global governance and push for a more equitable multilateral order.
• Leaders first met informally in 2006; the first full summit was held in Yekaterinburg, Russia, in 2009. South Africa joined in 2010–11, converting BRIC into BRICS.
• India’s 2012 chairship (“Global Stability, Security and Prosperity”) led to the creation of the New Development Bank (NDB), also called the “BRICS Bank.”
• BRICS has since expanded dramatically, now including Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Indonesia as full members, alongside partner countries, giving it a presence across Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America.

1. India’s Original Vision versus China’s Strategic Use of BRICS

• India initially saw BRICS as a genuine vehicle for reform of multilateral institutions. China viewed it as a counterpoise to Western dominance and a platform to amplify its own global ambitions via BRICS-Plus and BRICS Outreach.

2. Selective Reformism by China

• India, Brazil and South Africa found China’s support for institutional reform was selective — China did not support their bids for permanent UNSC seats.

3. The Consensus Principle Under Strain

• BRICS traditionally follows the consensus principle, but this is under pressure — seen in the non-consensus chair’s COVID-19 statement (2020) and disagreements at the May 2026 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi.

4. Expansion and Its Costs — Cohesion versus Scale

• New entrants bring bilateral disputes with them, raising the risk BRICS could go the way of SAARC — a body frequently paralysed by bilateral tensions among members.

5. The “Non-West” versus “Anti-West” Debate

• India sees BRICS as a “non-West” platform, not “anti-West.” Maintaining this balance is harder amid US-China rivalry, the Russia-Ukraine war, US tariffs on India and Brazil, and a weakening Quad.

6. Parallel Global Structures and Institutional Rivalry

• China pushes for de-dollarisation and a BRICS currency; other members prefer linking payment systems and CBDCs instead. India is watching China’s mBridge cross-border payment system closely, wary of a China-dominated financial architecture.

7. Reformed Multilateralism as India’s Guiding Agenda

• India’s “reformed multilateralism” vision, first articulated by PM Modi at the 2018 South Africa summit, found formal expression in the 2019 Brasilia document — the 2026 Delhi Summit is seen as a chance to revive this agenda.