‘No shortage of voices predicting the decline of BRICS…’: China calls for an efficient, pragmatic bloc

BRICS Summit 2026: There is no shortage of voices that predict the decline of the BRICS bloc, but its mechanism still continues to grow, said the Chinese government’s mouthpiece in an opinion piece. This piece comes as Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his first visit to India in nearly seven years.

An opinion piece in Global Times stated that BRICS is now “a major force pushing for a more multipolar world and greater democracy in international relations” – an achievement that has not come easily.

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“Over the past 20 years, the international landscape has undergone profound changes, and there is no shortage of voices predicting the decline of BRICS or seeking to divide it. Why, then, can the BRICS mechanism continue to grow, and why can BRICS cooperation remain so vibrant? The key lies in its commitment to openness and inclusiveness, its goal of win-win cooperation and its pursuit of fairness and justice,” the opinion piece stated.

It reiterated Chinese President Xi Jinping’s proposals at the virtual BRICS Summit in September 2025 – to uphold multilateralism, uphold openness, and uphold solidarity. The piece stated that these proposals inject a strong impetus into the high-quality development of greater BRICS cooperation. It said there is greater confidence on the enormous potential of BRICS cooperation.

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This century has seen profound changes, it stated, further adding that the more turbulent and transformative the world becomes, “the more the unique value of BRICS cooperation comes into focus”. “Countries of the Global South are actively moving closer to BRICS, and this trend is becoming increasingly evident,” it said, adding that other nations have also voiced their desires to become a bigger part of BRICS.

“The growing ‘BRICS fever’ reflects the collective aspiration of countries across the Global South for the right to equitable development and a fairer and more just global order,” it said.

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A ‘Greater BRICS’ will open up new space for common development of the Global South and inject greater “certainty and positive energy into a world beset by turbulence and change”, it said.

China will assume the rotating presidency of BRICS in 2027.