India's BRICS Chairship Gains China Support as Group Expands

India hosted the 11th BRICS Foreign Policy Dialogue in New Delhi, highlighting its role as current chair and outlining themes of resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability. At the meeting, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal noted that intra‑BRICS trade has risen thirteen‑fold since 2003, and officials stressed the push for local‑currency trade to reduce reliance on the US dollar, without advocating a single BRICS currency.

Chinese Ambassador Xu Feihong publicly pledged full support for India’s upcoming BRICS chairmanship in 2026, emphasizing cooperation to advance a multipolar world and high‑quality development. Both India and China reiterated their commitment to deepen economic ties within the expanded BRICS+ grouping, which now includes ten full members and ten partner countries, accounting for roughly half of the world’s population and 40 % of global trade.