Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Sep 12: Major US newspapers have portrayed the BRICS summit in New Delhi as a reflection of a changing global order, shaped by strained alliances, regional conflicts and growing competition between Washington and Beijing.
_The New York Times_, in a news dispatch, said the key question surrounding the summit was whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Chinese President Xi Jinping would emerge as the more influential voice of the developing world.
China views BRICS as a platform to challenge American influence, while India wants to keep the grouping broad enough to ensure that member countries are not forced to choose between competing geopolitical blocs.
The newspaper said wars, high energy prices, US tariffs and concerns over artificial intelligence were prompting countries to reassess their relationships with Washington and Beijing.
“China’s primary concern with India has always been India’s alignment with the United States,” Yun Sun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center in Washington, told _The Times_. “So Beijing certainly would not let the opportunity slide to regain some traction with Delhi.”
Xi’s visit to India is his first in seven years. It follows a prolonged downturn in bilateral relations after the deadly 2020 border clash and a cautious diplomatic thaw that began in 2024.
Xi is scheduled to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House on September 24, giving the New Delhi summit additional significance as the Chinese leader prepares for high-stakes talks with the US president.
_The Wall Street Journal_ said uncertainty in India’s and China’s ties with the United States had created an opportunity for the two nuclear-armed neighbours to ease tensions.
“India is trying to readjust,” Srikanth Kondapalli, a professor of Chinese studies at New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University, told the newspaper.
However, the _Journal_ said any improvement in India-China relations remained constrained by the unresolved border dispute, China’s close ties with Pakistan and growing security competition in the Indian Ocean.
“The Chinese are also seeing that India is biding its time, just working for better options that might emerge,” Sun told the _Journal_. “So I think that adds to the superficiality of the current improvement of China-India relations.”
_The Washington Post_ carried reports describing the summit as a difficult balancing exercise for India.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Xi were among the leaders attending the meeting, according to the reports. Prime Minister Modi held separate talks with Putin and Pezeshkian ahead of the summit.
The expanded BRICS grouping, which now has 11 members, is seeking greater influence in the global order, but its members have competing political, economic and foreign policy interests, _The Post_ reported.
The wars in Ukraine and the Middle East could further expose those differences.
India maintains longstanding ties with Russia and relations with Iran while simultaneously expanding strategic partnerships with the United States, Europe, Japan and Australia.