BRICS Summit: Is The Bloc Helping India Or Giving China The Upper Hand?

India hosts the 18th BRICS Summit on September 12–13, bringing together major powers including China, Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and others. But as geopolitical tensions rise, the bigger question is whether BRICS is strengthening India’s strategic autonomy—or increasingly serving China’s interests. Delhi wants BRICS to remain a “non-West” platform rather than an anti-Western bloc, while balancing ties with the US, Quad, Russia, Iran and the Gulf. From trade and de-dollarisation to China’s growing influence, India faces a delicate balancing act. Can New Delhi shape BRICS—or risk allowing Beijing to shape it?