The 18th BRICS Summit is about to be held in New Delhi on September 12-13, 2026. China extends full support to India for its BRICS presidency, stands ready to work with all BRICS members and partners to jointly draw a blueprint for the high-quality development of a greater BRICS, and leverage BRICS POWER to empower the world. I would like to share my personal views on the greater BRICS cooperation, with the help of the five letters of the word Power.

The first is P for Principle. The world is now undergoing accelerated transformation unseen in a century, and witnessing a trend toward deepening multipolarity, economic globalisation, and the collective rise of the Global South. In the meantime, hegemonism and power politics are becoming increasingly rampant. Lingering geopolitical conflicts trigger a succession of crises and challenges.

As an important force for world peace and development, BRICS must resolutely uphold the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, and safeguard the basic norms of international relations, including sovereign equality, non-interference in internal affairs and peaceful settlement of disputes, and prevent the world from sliding back into the law of the jungle where the strong prey on the weak.

Upholding international principles

Chinese President Xi Jinping put forward the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity and four global initiatives, including the Global Security Initiative and the Global Governance Initiative, which provided China’s solutions on addressing common human challenges and building a better world together.

The second is O for Openness. The world economy is currently facing a sluggish recovery, coupled with the spread of protectionism. Certain countries have undermined the international economic and trade order by erecting tariff barriers, seeking decoupling and disrupting supply chains.

It should be recognised that economic globalisation is an inevitable trend of history. BRICS should uphold the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization (WTO) at its core, safeguard the basic principles of the WTO such as the most-favoured-nation treatment, and resist all forms of protectionism. We should join hands to deepen cooperation in energy and mineral resources, infrastructure, and industrial and supply chains to maintain an open global economic landscape.

China stays committed to building an open global economy, so as to share opportunities in openness, and achieve common development.

The third is W for Win-Win. BRICS should adhere to the Spirit of Openness, Inclusiveness and Win-Win cooperation. We should continue putting development at the centre of the BRICS agenda, accelerate the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, strengthen dialogue and build consensus on launching the formulation of the post-2030 global development agenda, and ensure that Global South countries participate in international cooperation as equals and share the fruits of development.

Economic and financial cooperation

We should pursue mutual benefit and win-win results to further consolidate economic cooperation. It is necessary to strengthen greater BRICS coordination on macroeconomic policies and adopt more trade and investment facilitation measures. We should push forward local currency and cross-border payment cooperation and improve the financial safety net, so as to enhance the ability to ward off external risks. In the face of global energy and food security challenges, we should build a more resilient and sustainable agriculture and food system.

The fourth is E for Engine. BRICS countries account for nearly half of the world’s population, around 30% of global economic output, and one-fifth of global trade. We are also home to major natural resources, key manufacturers and vast markets. According to international agencies such as the International Monetary Fund, greater BRICS growth will be nearly three times faster than the G-7 by 2028, further highlighting its role as an engine of world economic growth.

We should leverage our respective advantages, deepen practical cooperation in fields such as business, finance, science and technology, forging more cooperation in the digital economy, smart manufacturing, and new industrialisation. We should actively promote the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) with sectors including science and technology, health, agriculture and education, thereby injecting fresh impetus into world economic growth. China has established the China-BRICS AI Development and Cooperation Center and the China-BRICS New Quality Productive Forces Research Center, and welcomes active participation of all parties.

The fifth is R for Responsibility. BRICS countries are the main force in safeguarding fairness and justice and the backbone of promoting unity and cooperation. We must shoulder the responsibility of maintaining world peace and development. Over this year and the next, India and China will take on the BRICS rotating presidency in succession. Maintaining sound coordination between our two countries is conducive to the steady and sustained progress of greater BRICS’ cooperation, and will better safeguard the common interests of developing countries.

China-India ties

Since the beginning of this year, under the strategic guidance of the two leaders, President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, China-India relations have maintained a momentum of improvement and development. The two sides strengthened dialogues at all levels and promoted exchanges and cooperation in various fields to achieve positive results. Five direct flight routes between the Chinese mainland and India have been resumed. After a six-year suspension, border trade has been reopened.

China looks forward to working with India to translate the important consensus reached by the two leaders into concrete actions, being good-neighbourly friends and partners that help each other, and pushing China-India relations to move forward in a sustained, healthy, and stable manner. May the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi be a great success. We welcome you all to China next year to continue empowering the world with BRICS POWER.

Xu Feihong is the Chinese Ambassador to India