The 18th BRICS Summit convened in New Delhi, India, on September 12-13, themed “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.”[BRICS is a 11-member group of emerging economies originally consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa—Ed.]

The Summit stressed digital public infrastructure, green finance and the reform of multilateral institutions—or areas that are increasingly central to the evolving architecture of global governance, peace and security.

The gathering took place against a backdrop of heightened geopolitical tensions, protracted conflicts and mounting systemic uncertainty. The ongoing wars involving Iran and Ukraine have generated political, economic, humanitarian and security repercussions, with effects extending well beyond the immediate theaters of conflict.

The resulting disruptions have reverberated across regions and economies, underscoring the growing interdependence of states and the urgent need for more effective, inclusive and responsive forms of multilateral cooperation.

Institutional continuity 

India has previously hosted three BRICS Summits; the Fourth Summit, the Eighth Summit，and the 13th Summit. A distinctive strength of BRICS, as a trans-regional intergovernmental grouping, has been its institutional resilience and capacity to sustain an annual Summit process despite profound geopolitical and systemic disruptions. This continuity was maintained even during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the BRICS summits were convened virtually.

Underlying this institutional continuity is a broader and enduring commitment to strengthening multilateralism and advancing practical cooperation on pressing global and regional challenges. Across successive Summits, BRICS has sought not merely to articulate an alternative vision of international cooperation, but also to expand the substantive and institutional space through which emerging economies can contribute to shaping responses to contemporary global challenges. In this respect, the summit process represents both the resilience of the BRICS framework and its continuing effort to make multilateral cooperation more representative, responsive and relevant to an increasingly complex international order.

This volatile global situation and uncertainties invariably demand an alternative thinking and paradigms. Rather than expounding destruction and domination, leaders need to be innovative and pragmatic in proposing alternative structures to ensure the continuation and progression of the human civilization. In that sense, BRICS has provided such alternative structure.

While summit declarations with the unanimous endorsement of leaders are worthwhile, what is more pragmatic is the thoughtfully articulated working structure the Global South can embrace and collectively implement.

At the national level, over the four decades since embarking on its journey of opening up and reform, China has offered a distinctive model of economic transformation, demonstrating how sustained economic reform, strategic development and technological advancement can be harnessed to generate broad-based prosperity, achieve an unprecedented reduction in absolute poverty, and position a developing country at the forefront of the global technological landscape.

Its experience provides a consequential reference point for understanding how national development strategies, when underpinned by long-term vision and institutional capacity, can reshape a country’s economic trajectory and its position within the global economy.

A sample of resilience 

China’s economy in 2026 remains fundamentally resilient, although it is increasingly characterized by moderating aggregate growth, subdued domestic demand, persistent weakness in the property sector and declining fixed-asset investment. At the same time, dynamism continues to emerge in advanced manufacturing, digital technologies, AI and export-oriented industries, reflecting the country’s ongoing structural transformation toward higher-value and innovation-driven growth. According to the latest data released by the National Bureau of Statistics of China, these contrasting dynamics underscore both the resilience and the complexity of China’s contemporary economic trajectory.

With an economy valued at approximately $19.5 trillion, China possesses exceptional industrial depth, technological capacity, productive scale and global economic connectivity. Its economic weight, therefore, extends well beyond national boundaries, positioning China as a consequential pillar of the Global South and an increasingly influential force in global trade, infrastructure development, investment, technological cooperation, and deepening the South-South economic engagement.

It is important to note that the establishment of BRICS, initially constituted as BRIC in 2006, emerged against the backdrop of the 2008 global financial crisis and reflected a growing recognition of the need for greater representation of emerging economies in the architecture of global economic governance. Building upon this broader trajectory, Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013 announced the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), then referred to as the One Belt, One Road initiative, with the overarching objective of developing interconnected infrastructure networks along and beyond the ancient Silk Road routes. Beyond physical connectivity, the BRI sought to strengthen critical infrastructure, enhance trade and investment linkages, and reinforce the resilience of global supply and value chains.

Xi’s other major foreign-policy initiatives—i.e., the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, Global Civilizations Initiative and Global Governance Initiative—can be understood as a broader effort to preserve, advance and strengthen the cumulative achievements of humanity developed over millennia, from the earliest stages of human civilization through the successive cultural, intellectual, scientific, and social transformations that have shaped the contemporary world.

Viewed collectively, these initiatives are premised on the recognition that the achievements of human civilization constitute a shared inheritance rather than the exclusive possession of any particular nation, culture or political system. Their underlying orientation is therefore not toward the negation, destruction or erasure of the accomplishments of previous generations, but toward their preservation and further development through peaceful cooperation, dialogue, mutual respect, and inclusive forms of international engagement.

In this sense, these initiatives may be interpreted as an attempt to articulate a conception of international relations in which security, development, governance and civilization are mutually reinforcing rather than mutually exclusive. They place particular emphasis on protecting the accumulated heritage of humanity while creating conditions under which different societies and civilizations can coexist, interact and contribute to the continuing advancement of human progress through peaceful means.   

Among the most consequential aspects of this year’s BRICS gathering was the bilateral meeting between Xi and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Summit’s sidelines. It’s worth remembering that these are two of the world’s oldest civilizations, with incredibly rich and long-lasting cultural, philosophical and literary traditions. Their relationship goes back nearly 2,000 years, and through all that time the two have kept up a deep and mostly unbroken dialogue.

The bilateral discussions encompassed a broad range of regional and transregional concerns with implications for the stability, security and prosperity of Asia. In this context, recent flash floods in Nepal and the imperative of developing collective responses to emerging non-traditional security threats featured prominently. Other issues of strategic importance included the future of the trans-Himalayan region, regional connectivity, food security and human security.

This expanded agenda underscored an important evolution in India–China engagement: from an exclusive preoccupation with unresolved bilateral questions toward a broader consideration of shared regional challenges and common interests. The constructive dialogue between the two leaders contributed not only to the management of bilateral differences but also to the development of cooperative approaches to transregional risks and emerging challenges confronting the wider Asian region.

The underlying fabric 

However, India’s recent policy postures, particularly toward its smaller neighbors, and its efforts to position itself as a net security provider in the Indian Ocean-could have unintended adverse consequences for the broader trajectory and outcomes of the future diplomatic discourse. While some of the prevailing suspicions may or may not be substantiated, it is important to recognize that the underlying fabric of bilateral relations continues to be constrained by a deficit of mutual trust. Any meaningful diplomatic breakthrough, therefore, requires a nuanced and profound understanding of these underlying sensitivities, perceptions, and strategic subtleties.

India should refrain from viewing China’s foreign-policy initiatives through the prism of threat, strategic encirclement, or the deliberate cultivation of a hostile neighborhood inimical to India’s geopolitical and security interests. While legitimate strategic concerns must, of course, be acknowledged and addressed through prudent diplomacy, the persistence of such a narrative risks reinforcing mutual suspicion and deepening strategic competition.

If this perception continues to shape regional policy and discourse, it could have enduring adverse consequences for peace, stability, and shared prosperity across Asia. A more nuanced and forward-looking approach, namely, one that balances strategic vigilance with dialogue, engagement and mutual accommodation, would be far more conducive to sustaining long-term regional peace and prosperity.

Much will depend on whether China and India can transcend their recent border disputes and, drawing upon the pragmatism and broader vision reflected in their historical experience, approach their relationship from a more forward-looking and non-parochial perspective. Such an approach would help lay a firm foundation for enduring peace, shared prosperity, and sustained economic development across South and Southeast Asia.

Most importantly, since 2013, China has consistently advanced alternative development and logistical paradigms aimed at offering pragmatic solutions through greater regional cooperation, connectivity, and multilateralism. Ultimately, this is the aspiration of the peoples of the region: to secure not only peace and tranquility, but also inclusive economic progress, meaningful social development, and a more stable, interconnected and prosperous future for generations to come.

The author was the First Secretary General of BIMSTEC and Sri Lankan Ambassador to Nepal, Iraq and the Netherlands. He was also the Additional Foreign Secretary of Sri Lanka 

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon  

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