Politics & Diplomacy
Xi proposes deeper BRICS cooperation in AI, trade and finance
China’s president used the New Delhi summit to propose new BRICS mechanisms spanning artificial intelligence, services trade and special economic zones.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has proposed a set of initiatives intended to deepen cooperation among BRICS members in artificial intelligence, trade, finance and special economic zones, presenting what he called a “Greater BRICS” framework at the bloc’s summit in New Delhi.
Xi announced Chinese support for a BRICS AI Open Source Zone, a service trade forum planned for 2027 and a partnership linking special economic zones. The proposals are intended to create practical mechanisms for economic and technological cooperation among a group that has expanded beyond its original five members.
BRICS now includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa alongside Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates. The group also works with partner countries across Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East.
The Chinese president argued for a more integrated and stable market among participating states. His remarks placed artificial intelligence alongside trade and finance as an area in which BRICS could build institutions outside existing Western-led arrangements.
An open-source AI initiative could involve shared models, development tools, research or governance cooperation, but the announcement did not by itself define technical standards, funding or membership requirements. Those details will determine whether the proposal becomes an operational platform.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin also used the summit to support a larger international role for BRICS and a more multipolar global order. Member states nevertheless have different security relationships, economic priorities and positions on major conflicts.
The New Delhi meeting produced a joint declaration that called for de-escalation in the Middle East. Reaching common language required agreement among members that include Iran and the UAE, which have different regional alignments.
Xi’s economic proposals are separate from the summit’s diplomatic declaration. They are initiatives for future cooperation rather than evidence that BRICS already operates as a unified market or political alliance.
Implementation will depend on follow-up work by national governments and BRICS institutions, including decisions on governance, data access, intellectual property and the financing of shared projects.
The expanded group includes ten full members and works with ten partner countries. That diversity increases its geographic reach but also means proposals must accommodate different legal systems, levels of technological capacity and foreign-policy alignments.
At the New Delhi summit, Xi presented the AI open-source zone, the 2027 services forum and cooperation among special economic zones as separate initiatives. Reuters did not report agreed budgets, host institutions or launch dates beyond the planned forum. Describing them as operational programmes would therefore go beyond what leaders announced.
The summit declaration’s call for Middle East de-escalation was a negotiated political statement. It did not create a BRICS security mechanism or bind members to a common military policy.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Abu Dhabi’s crown prince also met on the summit’s sidelines, according to Reuters. That bilateral contact was distinct from Xi’s institutional proposals and from the collective declaration adopted by the group.
