China and Russia have publicly supported India's BRICS chairmanship for 2026, when New Delhi is leading the grouping for the fourth time. Their representatives set out that position at a BRICS ambassadors' roundtable hosted by the Vivekananda International Foundation in New Delhi.
Chinese Ambassador Xu Feihong said Beijing was prepared to work with India and the other members to deepen cooperation and strengthen the grouping's role in global affairs. Russia was represented by Charge d'Affaires Roman Babushkin.
Babushkin endorsed India's priorities and described BRICS as a platform for practical cooperation and for advancing the interests of the Global South. The discussion also covered the grouping's place in efforts to build a more resilient and sustainable international order.
India's chairmanship theme is Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability. The roundtable placed inclusivity, multilateralism and South-South cooperation at the centre of the agenda rather than announcing a new treaty or binding decision.
BRICS now includes Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates. The larger membership gives India's chairmanship a wider diplomatic field, while implementation will depend on agreements reached by all participating governments.
