BRICS Expands Global Ambitions as Xi Calls for Stronger Trade and AI Cooperation
NEW DELHI — China’s President Xi Jinping has called for deeper economic and technological cooperation among BRICS countries as the expanded group seeks to strengthen its influence in a changing global order.
Speaking at the BRICS summit in New Delhi, Xi promoted greater cooperation in trade, industrial supply chains and artificial intelligence.
The proposals come as BRICS attempts to translate its growing membership into greater economic and diplomatic influence.
The group now extends well beyond its original membership of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
Iran, Indonesia, Egypt, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates have joined the expanded grouping, while additional countries have been included as partners.
Xi said deeper cooperation could help members build more resilient supply chains and create stronger economic links.
He also proposed a BRICS AI Open Source Zone designed to encourage collaboration in artificial intelligence and large language models.
A larger BRICS
The expansion of BRICS has changed the character of the organisation.
The original group was largely built around the world’s major emerging economies.
The enlarged group now includes countries from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.
That geographic expansion gives BRICS a much broader economic and political footprint.
It also creates new opportunities for trade.
Countries with large populations, energy resources, manufacturing capabilities and growing consumer markets are now part of the same diplomatic platform.
For China, deeper BRICS cooperation provides an opportunity to strengthen relationships with countries outside its traditional economic alliances.
AI becomes a strategic priority
Artificial intelligence has become one of the most important areas of global economic competition.
China, the United States and other major economies are investing heavily in AI infrastructure, semiconductor technology, cloud computing and advanced models.
Xi’s proposal for a BRICS AI Open Source Zone suggests that Beijing wants AI cooperation to become part of the bloc’s broader economic agenda.
For developing countries, access to AI technology is increasingly linked to economic competitiveness.
African governments, for example, are looking at AI as a potential tool for improving education, healthcare, agriculture, financial services and public administration.
However, access to computing power and advanced AI systems remains uneven.
A cooperative BRICS approach could potentially help countries share technology and expertise.
Trade and supply chains
Supply-chain security has also become a major international issue.
Recent geopolitical tensions have shown how quickly wars and trade restrictions can disrupt the movement of energy, food and industrial goods.
BRICS countries collectively represent a significant share of global production and consumption.
Xi has therefore called for stronger industrial cooperation and greater stability in supply chains.
China also plans to host a BRICS Service Trade Forum next year.
The aim is to increase cooperation in services, technology and other sectors.
The Middle East dimension
The summit is taking place against the background of continuing conflict and instability in the Middle East.
BRICS leaders have expressed concern about the situation and called for restraint.
The issue is particularly complicated because the expanded group includes both Iran and the United Arab Emirates.
Their interests and security concerns are not always identical.
Nevertheless, the ability of the bloc to produce a joint declaration demonstrates that members remain capable of finding common ground on some international issues.
The group’s statement did not eliminate differences between members, but it showed that BRICS can act as a diplomatic platform.
Africa’s position
Africa has an increasingly important role within BRICS.
South Africa was one of the original members, while Egypt and Ethiopia have joined the expanded group.
African participation gives the continent greater representation in discussions about global finance, trade and development.
For African countries, BRICS could provide additional options for investment and economic partnerships.
However, membership alone does not guarantee economic benefits.
Countries must still develop competitive industries, improve infrastructure and create policies that attract investment.
The challenge for African governments is to turn international partnerships into actual jobs, businesses and economic growth.
A challenge to the existing global order
BRICS leaders frequently argue that international institutions should better reflect the economic weight of emerging economies.
The group has criticised aspects of the existing global financial system and called for greater representation for developing countries.
China has increasingly promoted the idea of a more multipolar world.
Russia has also presented BRICS as evidence that global influence is becoming less concentrated among Western countries.
India, meanwhile, has sought to balance its role within BRICS with its relationships with the United States and other Western partners.
Those different interests make BRICS difficult to classify as a traditional alliance.
It is better understood as a platform where countries with different political systems and foreign-policy priorities can pursue areas of common interest.
The challenge of unity
The expansion of BRICS also creates a major challenge.
The larger the organisation becomes, the more difficult it can be to reach consensus.
Members have different economies, political systems and strategic priorities.
China and India, for example, have their own geopolitical tensions.
Iran’s interests are different from those of the Gulf states.
Brazil and South Africa have traditionally placed strong emphasis on multilateral diplomacy.
Russia’s relationship with the West is dominated by the war in Ukraine.
These differences mean BRICS is unlikely to become a single unified political bloc in the traditional sense.
What comes next?
The key question following the New Delhi summit will be whether BRICS can move from declarations to practical cooperation.
Trade agreements, investment projects, technology partnerships and financial initiatives will provide a better measure of the group’s effectiveness than summit statements alone.
For Africa and other developing regions, the potential benefits could be significant if BRICS members invest in infrastructure, technology and industrial development.
For the global economy, a stronger BRICS could contribute to an increasingly multipolar trading system.
But the group will need to demonstrate that its members can overcome political differences and focus on practical economic cooperation.
The New Delhi summit marks another step in BRICS’ transformation.
What began as a loose grouping of emerging economies is becoming a much broader platform for countries seeking greater influence in global economic and political affairs.
The direction of that transformation will be closely watched by governments, investors and businesses around the world.
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