New Delhi: The Global South must become a “rule shaper” and the existing “pyramid of privilege” in global governance must give way to a “platform of partnership”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday at the BRICS Summit where India secured a consensus joint declaration despite sharp differences between the UAE and Iran over the West Asia conflict.
In his opening address at the two-day India-hosted summit, Modi also proposed a 10-point roadmap for global governance reform under the BRICS framework and advocated for a ‘Seafarers’ Emergency Support Network’ to safeguard sailors facing heightened risks from ongoing global and regional crises.
The summit, attended by a galaxy of world leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, assumed greater significance as it unfolded against a backdrop of escalating geopolitical headwinds driven by the Russia-Ukraine war, West Asia instability and new US tariff policies.
BRICS has emerged as an influential grouping as it brings together 11 major emerging economies of the world, representing around 49.5 per cent of the global population, around 40 per cent of the global GDP and around 26 per cent of the global trade.
As the BRICS chair, India has placed the Global South at the heart of its agenda by seeking actionable solutions for food, energy and supply chain security primarily to insulate developing nations from the economic consequences of conflicts.
“The current structure of global governance resembles a pyramid: power and decision-making are concentrated at the top, while the lower tiers consist of nations that are affected by these decisions but unable to shape them,” Modi said.
“Today, the Global South stands in the front row of global crises but in the back row of decision-making. We must transform this ‘pyramid of privilege’ into a ‘platform of partnership’ — one where every nation has a voice, every member has a stake, and the development of humanity lies at the heart of every effort,” he said.
To this end, the prime minister proposed that BRICS jointly formulate a 10-point roadmap for global governance reform under the broader framework of the grouping’s reform roadmap. Modi said the roadmap should be finalised by the time of the next summit.
“In formulating this roadmap, we must focus on three key aspects: representation, responsiveness, and rule-making.
In his address, Chinese President Xi hailed the BRICS bloc as the world’s most influential platform for cooperation among emerging markets and developing countries and called on the grouping to play its “due role” in bringing peace in West Asia.
Russian President Putin too underlined the need for united efforts by BRICS to confront major challenges.
As the leaders concluded the first day’s deliberations, Modi announced the New Delhi BRICS declaration, which was adopted unanimously.
The declaration is seen as a major diplomatic victory for India as sharp differences between the United Arab Emirates and Tehran regarding the West Asia conflict had triggered apprehensions about adoption of the document as BRICS is a consensus-based bloc.
The declaration skipped making any direct mention of the US strikes on Iran or Iranian military’s attacks on several Gulf Arab nations. It also did not criticise Russia’s war on Ukraine but was severely critical of Israel for continuing violence in Gaza and called for fulfilling the aspirations of the Palestinian people.
BRICS, without naming the US, also voiced serious concerns over the proliferation of “trade-restrictive actions” such as “indiscriminate” tariffs and non-tariff measures as well as protectionism, saying they threatened to further reduce global trade, disrupt global supply chains, potentially exacerbating existing economic disparities.
The grouping came out against “unilateral sanctions” and “coercive measures” that are contrary to international law, in what is seen as a veiled criticism of Western economic sanctions on Russia.
The BRICS leaders appeared to endorse New Delhi’s position to end the West Asia conflict through “dialogue and diplomacy” and stressed the need to work together to maintain a smooth flow of global trade, supply chains and energy, in accordance with “applicable” international law.
The grouping also fully backed India’s call for zero tolerance towards any form of terrorism and shunning double standards in countering the menace as the top leaders of the influential grouping agreed to have a concerted approach in dealing with the challenge.
It condemned in the “strongest terms” the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir last year that killed 26 people.
In his remarks, the prime minister also highlighted the critical role being played by the seafarers community in the flow of global trade and said their safety should be a matter of priority.
“Seafarers make a massive contribution to global trade, yet they often find themselves lacking support during difficult times. I propose that we establish a ‘Seafarers’ Emergency Support Network’,” he said.
“This would connect the maritime authorities and diplomatic missions of relevant countries, facilitating assistance with distress alerts, medical aid, family notifications, and evacuations,” he said.
After the West Asia conflict began in February, India has been critical of Iranian attacks on merchant vessels near the Strait of Hormuz that have killed and injured Indian seafarers. Ten Indian seafarers are among the 16 Indians killed so far in the West Asia conflict.
In the declaration, BRICS also pressed for reform of the United Nations and even favoured having a woman as the UN Secretary General.
In the evening, PM Modi hosted a dinner reception for the BRICS leaders. On the margins of the summit, Modi held a series of bilateral meetings including with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
In the meeting with Xi, Modi emphasised that peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) remain essential for the development of India-China relations.
The two leaders reaffirmed that both countries should take a strategic and long-term perspective on their ties and that differences should not become disputes.
Border peace essential for India-China ties: PM Modi to Prez Xi
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday conveyed to Chinese President Xi Jinping that peace and tranquillity along the frontier remains essential for development of India-China relations, emphasising that existing agreements on border management must be strictly observed.
In their talks on the sidelines of the BRICS summit, the two leaders reaffirmed that both the countries should take a strategic and long-term perspective of their ties and differences should not become disputes, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
On economic front, Modi and Xi underlined the need to address each other’s concerns, including structural trade imbalance and supply chain issues, and facilitation of meaningful and predictable market access, it said.
The two leaders expressed commitment to a “fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable” resolution of the boundary question proceeding from the political perspective of their overall bilateral relations and the long-term interests of the two sides, it said.
In his remarks, PM Modi highlighted that both sides must be “guided by three mutuals — mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interest” in the ties.
The meeting took place hours after Xi arrived in the national capital on a two-day visit to attend the BRICS summit, marking his first trip to India in seven years.
Xi’s visit to India came on the heels of several high-level exchanges, including the Special Representative dialogue in Beijing between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, even as lingering concerns remain over aggressive Chinese military posturing along the Arunachal Pradesh sector.
Modi and Xi held wide-ranging talks on August 31 last year on the margins of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Chinese city of Tianjin.
In the last few months, the two sides have taken a series of measures to rebuild their relationship after it came under severe strain following the deadly Galwan Valley clashes in 2020.
The MEA said the two leaders welcomed the steady progress in India-China relations since their last meeting in Tianjin and reaffirmed that “both countries should take a strategic and long-term perspective of their ties”.
“The prime minister emphasised that peace and tranquillity in the border areas remains an essential basis for the continued development of bilateral relations,” it said.
“He underlined the need for both sides to observe existing agreements and understandings on border related issues,” it added.
The MEA said the “two leaders took note of the progress in people-to-people ties and underscored the need to further promote cultural exchanges, business linkages and greater mobility between the two countries.”
“The two leaders agreed that both sides must continue to expand common ground on regional and global issues, and in addressing challenges,” it said.
The prime minister appreciated China’s support for India’s BRICS chairship and its contributions towards the success of the grouping’s summit.
In his televised opening remarks, Xi said Beijing has always viewed the development of India-China relations from a “strategic and long-term perspective”.
“Although our national conditions differ, we can fully support each other and pursue common development path,” he said in Mandarin.
“Faced with a complex and intertwined international situation, China and India — as the world’s two most populous countries and key members of the Global South — shoulder significant responsibilities,” he said.
“Both sides should keep the future of humanity and the well-being of our people in mind. We must join hands to promote cooperation and strive for an inclusive economic future,” he said.
After over four years of frosty ties over the eastern Ladakh military standoff, India and China began to repair the relations following a meeting between Modi and Xi in the Russian city of Kazan in October 2024 that took place after the face-off ended.
The talks between Modi and Xi covered a range of issues including reducing their trade deficit, tackling challenges like terrorism and ensuring fair trade in multilateral platforms.
