BRICS countries rally to counter shocks of power politics, unilateralism: China Daily editorial

BEIJING, Sept. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The following article was published today by China Daily.

The 18th BRICS Summit, which opened on Saturday in New Delhi, the capital of India, is an opportunity for the participating countries to build consensus on development through strategic communication, improve the quality of development through practical cooperation, resolve differences through dialogue and consultation, and address risks and challenges through solidarity and collaboration.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of BRICS cooperation. Over the past two decades, the BRICS cooperation mechanism has become the world's most influential platform for cooperation among emerging markets and developing countries.

In his speech at Session I of the summit, President Xi Jinping reviewed the development of BRICS cooperation over the past two decades, underscoring that it has been 20 years of self-reliance and self-strengthening, with the member countries standing together through thick and thin and engaging in fruitful cooperation.

This has helped safeguard the common interests of the Global South, provided the world with stability and positive momentum, and ushered the grouping into a new stage of high-quality development with greater BRICS cooperation.

BRICS has become a major force for advancing a multipolar world and greater democracy in international relations. The grouping's growing influence is reflected in its expansion to 11 member countries and 10 partner countries, and in its economic and demographic scale. BRICS countries now account for approximately 40 percent of global GDP at purchasing power parity and nearly half of the world's population.

With the countercurrents of unilateralism and power politics surging, multilateralism and the international order are coming under strain, and the deficits in peace, development, security and governance continue to widen. That should further inspire the BRICS countries to stand firmly on the right side of history, strive to be pioneers of the times, steer the international order toward greater justice and equity, and work together to build a community with a shared future for humanity.

To that end, Xi called on BRICS to be a pioneer in pursuing innovation-driven development, upholding peace and stability, facilitating mutual learning between civilizations, and reforming and improving global governance.

Putting those proposals into action will help BRICS countries firmly seize the initiative in shaping their future. This will enable them to uphold a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and play a constructive role in resolving hot spot issues by addressing both symptoms and root causes. It will also help them promote a fairer and more equitable global governance system.

Xi also proposed an initiative to promote new industrialization through artificial intelligence among BRICS countries, and said that China is willing to work with all parties to deliver more outcomes in research, development and application, and deepen cooperation in industrial and supply chains.

Xi also advocated efforts to deepen cooperation in culture, tourism and education, strengthen youth exchanges and promote more frequent interactions and closer bonds among the peoples.

These all represent concrete actions in China's commitment to advancing BRICS development and playing an active role.

Urging the group to deepen mutual understanding through communication and dialogue, Xi said that the BRICS countries should remain sincere and candid with one another, seek common ground while respecting differences, and respect each other's core concerns.

Over an extraordinary two-decade journey, solidarity and cooperation have remained the driving force behind the BRICS cause, Xi stressed.

China will take over as the rotating chair of BRICS and host its 19th summit next year, and the Chinese side stands ready to work with all parties to build consensus, create a better future and embark on BRICS' third "golden decade", jointly opening up a bright future of prosperity and progress.

The leaders attending the summit reached a common understanding across a range of important areas, including security, cooperation and development, and adopted a joint declaration on Saturday. This demonstrates BRICS countries' clear-eyed assessment of the opportunities and challenges they face, as well as their shared willingness to build greater consensus on issues of common concern. This will help create favorable conditions for China, as the next rotating chair, to steer BRICS toward even greater development in the next stage.

SOURCE China Daily