BRICS Summit in New Delhi Calls for Mideast Restraint — SkimNews
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- Modi opened the final day of BRICS talks in New Delhi on Sept 13, telling leaders the bloc represents 50% of world population, 40% of global GDP, and more than 25% of global trade
- BRICS leaders issued a rare joint statement calling for "maximum restraint" in the Middle East, after Indian diplomatic efforts overcame divisions that had blocked foreign ministers from agreeing on language in May
- Xi Jinping's visit to India was his first since 2019, marking a cautious thaw between the nuclear-armed rivals six years after a deadly border clash, though the underlying 3,500km territorial dispute remains unresolved
- India has navigated the energy crisis caused by the US-Iran war in part by turning to Russia for fuel, despite Moscow's war in Ukraine and pressure from Washington and Western capitals
- Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian joined the summit alongside Putin and Xi, as host India balanced ties between Tehran and US ally Israel
- Tibetan exiles staged protests in New Delhi during Xi's visit, drawing attention to the Dalai Lama's long-standing presence in India since fleeing a 1959 Chinese crackdown
Why it matters: BRICS — representing roughly half the world's population and 40% of global GDP — produced its first joint statement on Middle East tensions, showing India can broker consensus among rivals like China, Russia, and Iran. The bloc's push for a more inclusive global order challenges Western-dominated institutions, and Xi's first India visit since 2019 signals a thaw, even as the border dispute and energy pivot to Russia remain unresolved fault lines.
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