BRICS Issues Rare Middle East Statement as Xi Visits India — SkimNews
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- BRICS leaders concluded two days of talks in New Delhi on Sept 13, with host Modi noting the bloc represents 50% of world population, 40% of global GDP, and more than 25% of global trade
- The bloc issued a rare joint statement calling for "maximum restraint" in the Middle East — a breakthrough after foreign ministers failed to agree in May over divisions between Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE
- Xi Jinping made his first India visit since 2019, meeting Modi in what both sides framed as a cautious thaw six years after a deadly Himalayan border clash
- India and China committed to a "fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable resolution" of their boundary dispute, though heavy military deployments remain along the 3,500km frontier and deep mistrust persists
- India navigated the US-Iran energy crisis partly by turning to Russian supplies, despite Western pressure over Moscow's war in Ukraine
- Tibetan exiles protested Xi's visit in New Delhi — the Dalai Lama has lived in India since fleeing Chinese crackdown in 1959
Why it matters: The rare BRICS consensus on the Middle East — a breakthrough after May's failed ministerial talks divided between Iran and Gulf states — reflects India's diplomatic leverage, while Xi's first India visit since 2019 opens a managed detente between nuclear-armed rivals sharing a 3,500km disputed border.
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