NEW DELHI: Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged BRICS members to oppose violations of national sovereignty, reject protectionism and support a stronger role for the United Nations as the expanded group opened its summit in New Delhi on Saturday.
Speaking at the two day meeting, Xi called on the 11-member bloc to oppose interference in the internal affairs of other countries and to take part in efforts to resolve international crises. He said BRICS should help protect the authority of the United Nations at a time when wars and rivalries are shaking the world, according to Dawn News.
“The situation in the Middle East and the Gulf region continues to evolve,” Xi said, according to China’s state news agency Xinhua. He added that the conflict had caused serious losses for people across the region.
Xi also called on BRICS countries to reject all forms of protectionism and support the multilateral trading system centred on the World Trade Organisation. His remarks came as global trade faces rising tariffs, political disputes and growing pressure on supply chains.
The summit brings together leaders whose countries have sharply different interests. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian are attending alongside Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while China’s Xi is making his first visit to India since 2019.
The gathering is being dominated by the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, energy security and uncertainty in global trade. Iran has been under growing pressure after US-Israeli strikes on the country on February 28. Pezeshkian said the pressure on Iran had reached a “critical and dangerous stage”.
Modi held talks with Putin and Pezeshkian before the summit. During his meeting with the Iranian president, he stressed the importance of protecting freedom of navigation, trade routes and the safety of ship crews.
Xi’s visit is also being closely watched because relations between China and India remain burdened by a long running border dispute. The two countries have gradually restored flights, visas and high-level contacts since a deadly military clash along their disputed Himalayan border in 2020. However, both sides still maintain large troop deployments along the roughly 3,500-kilometre frontier.
Xi is expected to meet Modi on the sidelines of the summit. The talks may focus on improving relations, expanding trade and managing border tensions.
BRICS was created in 2009 to give major emerging economies a stronger voice in global institutions dominated by Western powers. The group now represents about half of the world’s population, according to Modi, but its expansion has also brought wider differences.
Members include Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Iran, whose positions on the Middle East conflict do not always match. Analysts say these divisions could make it difficult for BRICS to produce a united response to the crises confronting the world.
