India Faces Diplomatic Balancing Act as New Delhi Hosts BRICS Summit

India will host the 18th Brics Summit in New Delhi on September 12–13. Comprising an expanded group of 11 members, this important conference accounts for roughly 30 per cent of worldwide gross domestic product and more than 45 per cent of the global population.

New Delhi Prepares for Milestone 18th Brics Summit

Held at Bharat Mandapam, the event marks exactly two decades since the establishment of the original Bric framework in 2006. It presents a major test for New Delhi as it seeks to balance strategic autonomy, Global South leadership, and internal divisions over de-dollarisation and global governance.

A Year of Intensive Preparatory Diplomacy

The two-day leaders’ summit represents the culmination of a massive year-long diplomatic campaign under India’s rotating chairmanship, which began on January 1. Guided by the presidency theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability,” New Delhi has hosted more than 350 ministerial, working-group, and track-two engagements across 25 cities nationwide.

These preparatory tracks spanned political and security cooperation, economic and financial governance, and cultural exchanges. Key milestones included the Brics Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi in May and the Brics Information and Communication Technologies Track in Pune in August.

Integrating an Expanded ‘Brics+’ Bloc

Following the formal transition of the alliance into “Brics+,” this year’s event represents the first complete leaders’ summit for the enlarged collective. The roster now features founding members Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa alongside newer additions Indonesia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates.

Photo: freepressjournal.in

A wide array of outreach invitees and regional chairs representing organizations such as BIMSTEC, ASEAN, the African Union, and the Gulf Cooperation Council will also participate in extended sessions alongside 10 partner countries.

Ideological Fault Lines Over Global Order

The primary challenge facing Indian diplomats as they finalise the summit declaration is conceptual. Within the expanded bloc, fundamental disagreements exist regarding what Brics ought to be.

Photo: firstpost.com

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin regularly highlight the bloc’s potential to bypass Western restrictions, as Beijing and Moscow increasingly leverage Brics as a core geopolitical tool to push back against G7 dominance, challenge Western supremacy, and establish an alternative financial framework protected from Western oversight.

Conversely, India rejects the premise that Brics should function as an anti-Western confrontation alliance. Jaishankar has articulated New Delhi’s doctrine that Brics is “non-Western,” not “anti-Western,” with India’s strategic interest lying in leveraging the bloc to reform existing global institutions—such as the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank—rather than tearing them down.

Washington is expected to view the Delhi Summit cautiously due to potential discussions on reducing dependence on the dollar or developing alternative financial mechanisms, yet is unlikely to confront India directly given their strategic partnership.

Substantive Agendas and Regional Flashpoints

Discussions will address terrorism, climate change, trade, food security, development finance, local currencies, financial reform, digital infrastructure, artificial intelligence, and energy security.

Cooperation on critical minerals, agriculture, energy, pharmaceuticals, and manufacturing could give the presidency’s theme economic substance, with India promoting cooperation through its Digital Public Infrastructure experience while the New Development Bank expands local-currency lending.

Regional flashpoints also crowd the diplomatic calendar. The escalating US-Iran confrontation could cast a shadow over the summit with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s expected attendance, bringing issues of energy security and regional stability into the Brics room.

Furthermore, Chinese President Xi Jinping’s expected attendance marks his first visit to India in seven years and his first since the 2020 border crisis, providing an opportunity for direct dialogue to help stabilise bilateral relations even as the Himalayan boundary remains a central concern. Additional diplomatic tests include Bangladesh’s outreach participation amid strained relations with New Delhi over Sheikh Hasina.