Context:

• Ahead of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi (September 12-13, 2026), Chinese Ambassador to India Xu Feihong outlined China's vision for strengthening BRICS cooperation.
• Using the acronym "POWER," he lays out five commitments he believes should guide the grouping as it works to empower the Global South.

P — Principle: Upholding a Rules-Based World Order

• The world is undergoing rapid transformation, marked by deepening multipolarity, economic globalisation, and the collective rise of the Global South — alongside rising hegemonism and power politics.
• BRICS must uphold the UN Charter's principles: sovereign equality, non-interference in internal affairs, and peaceful dispute settlement, to prevent a slide back into "might is right" global politics.
• The Chinese Ambassador references President Xi Jinping's vision of a "community with a shared future for humanity," along with China's Global Security Initiative and Global Governance Initiative, as China's contributions to addressing shared global challenges.

O — Openness: Resisting Protectionism

• With the world economy facing sluggish recovery and rising protectionism — including tariff barriers and supply chain disruptions — there is need for BRICS to:
  • Uphold the multilateral trading system, with the WTO at its core.
  • Safeguard principles like most-favoured-nation treatment.
  • Deepen cooperation in energy, minerals, infrastructure, and industrial supply chains.

W — Win-Win: Development at the Centre

• BRICS should keep development central to its agenda, accelerating progress on the UN Sustainable Development Goals and building consensus on a post-2030 global development agenda.
• This includes ensuring Global South countries participate as equals in international cooperation.
• On the economic front, the ambassador calls for:
  • Stronger macroeconomic policy coordination
  • Greater trade and investment facilitation
  • Expanded local currency and cross-border payment cooperation
  • A more resilient global food and agriculture system

E — Engine: BRICS as a Growth Driver

• BRICS nations collectively account for nearly half the world's population, about 30% of global economic output, and one-fifth of global trade.
• Citing IMF projections, the ambassador notes greater BRICS growth is expected to be nearly three times faster than the G7 by 2028.
• To harness this, he calls for deeper cooperation in digital economy, smart manufacturing, and AI integration across sectors like health, agriculture and education — highlighting China's own China-BRICS AI Development and Cooperation Center and New Quality Productive Forces Research Center.

R — Responsibility: Sustaining Cooperation Through Leadership Transitions

• With India and China set to hold the BRICS rotating presidency in successive years, the author emphasises the importance of sound coordination between the two countries.
• This is necessary to ensure steady progress of BRICS cooperation and safeguard developing nations' shared interests.

A Note on China-India Ties

• The piece highlights recent positive developments in bilateral relations under President Xi Jinping and PM Narendra Modi — including the resumption of five direct flight routes and the reopening of border trade after a six-year suspension.
• China expresses hope for translating this momentum into stable, sustained cooperation, and extends an invitation to host the next BRICS Summit.

Conclusion

• China's "POWER" framework reflects its vision for a more multipolar, development-centric BRICS, emphasising openness, equitable growth, and sustained India-China coordination — positioning the grouping as a pivotal engine for reshaping global governance in favour of the Global South.