China’s President, Xi Jinping, unveiled on Sunday initiatives in areas spanning from artificial intelligence to trade, with the aim of deepening cooperation among the emerging economies of the ‘Great BRICS’, as Beijing seeks to transform the group into a practical platform for the development of the Global South.
Cooperation in areas ranging from politics and security to the economy and finance is the group’s main focus, with India, which will assume the chair in 2026, and China, which will take the chair in 2027, seeking a broader partnership to expand its global influence.
The success of the ‘Great BRICS Initiative’ depends on building a solid foundation for pragmatic cooperation, Xi said at the bloc’s annual leaders’ summit in New Delhi, according to Xinhua News Agency.
BRICS countries should cooperate even more, maintain the stability of industrial and supply chains, and cultivate an integrated market, Xi said at the closing session of the summit.
China will take the lead in establishing a BRICS Open AI Code Zone to promote cooperation in large language models, AI training, and an open AI ecosystem, Xi added.
He also proposed a partnership to create a BRICS Special Economic Zone and said that China will host a BRICS Services Trade Forum next year to boost trade and investment ties.
EXPANDED ROLE
BRICS has expanded to include Iran, Indonesia, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates, in addition to the original members — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — from two decades ago, which aimed to transform a world order dominated by the United States.
Additionally, ten partner countries span emerging economies in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East, broadening its reach across the Global South.
China and Russia sometimes refer to this larger bloc as the “Great BRICS”.
The benefits of solutions developed within BRICS should not be limited to the bloc alone, but should be adaptable and accessible to meet the needs of the Global South, said India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi in previous statements.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin called BRICS a powerful driving force for creating a new, fairer, multipolar world order, urging its members to find ways to combine the competitive advantages of their individual economies.
The summit comes amid the resumption of clashes in the Persian Gulf region, with reciprocal attacks between the United States and Iran, as well as the Houthis — backed by Iran — expanding the conflict by launching attacks against Saudi Arabia.
But the weekend summit achieved an important diplomatic objective on Saturday, when it managed to reach a consensus on a joint statement supported by Iran and the United Arab Emirates.
In general terms, the statement expressed deep concern about the ongoing escalation of tensions in the Middle East and urged the exercise of maximum restraint.
Separately, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian also met with Abu Dhabi’s crown prince on the sidelines of the event, in the highest-level meeting between authorities from the two countries since the start of the conflict.
They discussed issues ranging from de-escalation and stability to efforts to promote regional peace and development.
