Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to India for the 18th BRICS Summit signals a significant positive turn in bilateral relations, marking his first visit to India since the Galwan standoff in 2020. Xi last visited New Delhi in 2014 and India for an informal summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019. The bilateral meeting comes amid improving China-India relations, preceded by recent high-level military commander talks in Arunachal Pradesh following the Special Representatives dialogue that took place in Beijing last month. An eight-point joint statement towards pursuing a mutually acceptable solution in the future was issued during the August 25 talks between National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing. As per Business Standard, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning emphasized that this will be the third year in a row the two leaders meet, with China committed to working with India to handle bilateral relations from a strategic height and long-term perspective. The summit is taking place amid the Iran-US conflict and the Ukraine-Russia war, with China advocating a common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable approach to security.
West Asia conflict and energy security could dominate the BRICS Summit, with members also expected to discuss critical minerals, clean energy, transport and trade. Given that several BRICS members are directly or indirectly affected by the conflict in West Asia and its repercussions on regional security and energy supplies, the summit is expected to call for an end to hostilities, according to experts. The summit could also see discussion on long-term energy-supply agreements among major producers and importing countries, as well as measures to ensure the safe passage of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for global energy trade. India and China, the world's two largest oil-importing countries, are particularly vulnerable to disruption in traffic through the waterway. "It is probable that long-term energy supplies and pricing will be discussed," said Manas Majumdar, partner and leader at PwC India. The issue of using local currencies for cross-border payments among BRICS members could be discussed, building on last year's Rio summit where leaders called for greater use of local currencies in trade and financial transactions.
India's BRICS 2026 vision centers on three interconnected pillars: Artificial Intelligence for public good, digital trade revolution, and sustainable inclusive economic growth. According to reports from NDTV Profit, this comprehensive approach positions India as a leading voice for the global south, moving beyond political counterweight to become a primary engine for equitable global development. The strategy reflects India's evolution from balancing alliances to actively shaping the global south's strategic agenda within the expanded bloc, which now represents a formidable share of the world's population, economic output, and technological potential. Chinese expectations from the 18th Brics Summit include three major outcomes: practical implementation guidelines for cross-border trade settlement in local currencies, finalisation of NDB expansion plans for green infrastructure financing support to additional global south countries, and issuance of a Brics position paper on security cooperation. India is likely to welcome the NDB expansion plan, owing to its own investment and engagement, though it has resisted China-Russia de-dollarisation efforts within BRICS due to concerns about US relations and China controlling trade.
The summit is expected to discuss measures to strengthen resilient critical-mineral supply chains, expand battery storage deployment, and accelerate smart-grid digitisation. Amit Bhargava, national leader (metals and mining), KPMG in India, said the event could provide India four key opportunities in critical minerals: securing supplies of minerals such as lithium, rare earths and nickel; accessing technologies for mining, refining, processing and recycling; facilitating India-focused joint ventures and investment; and developing integrated supply chains. According to Rajib Maitra, partner & sector leader, Deloitte South Asia, India and BRICS nations can collaborate to address challenges on deep-seated mineral exploration, beneficiation, and processing ore along with downstream value addition, particularly related to technology licensing and transfer and research partnerships in critical minerals such as rare earths. Recycling e-waste and tailings can also be enhanced through these partnerships.
India's AI vision within BRICS emphasizes democratization and ethical governance rather than commercial monetization or state surveillance. As reported by NDTV Profit, India advocates for the 'AI for All' model, building on the success of its own Digital Public Infrastructure like Aadhaar and UPI. The 2026 strategy focuses on building a collaborative BRICS framework to share open-source AI models, localized datasets, and computing resources to bridge the digital divide between advanced economies and developing nations. India's emphasis includes deploying AI to solve systemic challenges in agriculture, healthcare, and education across the global south. Additionally, India plays a pivotal role in formulating a unified BRICS regulatory framework for AI ethics, ensuring that technology develops with safeguards against misinformation, algorithmic bias, and systemic disruptions to labor markets. Qian Feng, director of research at Tsinghua University's National Strategy Institute, noted that translating phased achievements into concrete institutional implementation helps prevent localised frictions from disrupting the overall trend of easing tensions. However, India's concerns about China's geopolitical ambitions and potential security cooperation documents remain unresolved.
The summit will build consensus on critical transportation issues, with the third BRICS joint working group of ministers having issued a declaration in July outlining key areas of deliberation. The Brics Urban Mobility Hub is aimed to facilitate knowledge exchange, capacity building, and technical cooperation on affordable, inclusive and smart urban transport, including mass transit, electric mobility and multimodal integration. The Brics Logistics Supply-Chain Cooperation Framework strengthens cross-sector transport logistics resilience and sustainability among BRICS members, promoting resilient and synergised manufacturing and logistics ecosystems focusing on supply-chain integration, multimodal connectivity, and logistics coordination. BRICS countries collectively represent approximately 40 per cent of global gross domestic product and nearly 26 per cent of global trade in goods, with India focusing on improving its cities in a big way. The knowledge framework on transport decarbonisation covers electric mobility, low emission rail, multimodal freight systems, smart mobility solutions, sustainable shipping corridors, sustainable aviation, and port and maritime infrastructure.
