Who Wears the BRICS Crown?

India, China Compete for Dominance Over BRICS Leaders' Summit

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World Brief:

Who Wears the BRICS Crown?

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World Brief

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Who Wears the BRICS Crown?

India and China compete to shape the bloc’s agenda moving forward.

!An illustration of Alexandra Sharp, World Brief newsletter writer

*An illustration of Alexandra Sharp, World Brief newsletter writer*

*Alexandra Sharp*

By **Alexandra Sharp**, the World Brief writer at *Foreign Policy*.

!A security personnel stands guard outside a building that projects the logo of the upcoming BRICS summit.

*A security personnel stands guard outside a building that projects the logo of the upcoming BRICS summit.*

A security personnel stands guard outside Rail Bhawan, projected with the “BRICS India 2026” logo ahead of the upcoming BRICS summit in New Delhi on Sept. 11. Arun Sankar/AFP via Getty Images

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September 11, 2026, 4:06 PM

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at what to expect at this year’s **BRICS leaders’ summit**, the legacy of **9/11** a quarter century later, and the **Houthis**’ lightning offensive on the **Red Sea** coast.

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**Vying for Influence**

In a world long dictated by U.S. hegemony, who leads the other side? That is the issue defining this weekend’s BRICS summit, as the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and other member countries gather in New Delhi to discuss what a counterweight to Washington’s influence should look like.

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at what to expect at this year’s **BRICS leaders’ summit**, the legacy of **9/11** a quarter century later, and the **Houthis**’ lightning offensive on the **Red Sea** coast.

Sign up to receive World Brief in your inbox every weekday.

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**Vying for Influence**

In a world long dictated by U.S. hegemony, who leads the other side? That is the issue defining this weekend’s BRICS summit, as the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and other member countries gather in New Delhi to discuss what a counterweight to Washington’s influence should look like.

BRICS was established in 2009 as a direct response to the U.S. dollar’s dominance in international trade as well as Washington’s leverage over the United Nations and what was then the G-8. But the bloc’s ability to make significant headway has long been stymied by internal dissent, especially between India and China. This weekend, New Delhi and Beijing will jockey for dominance over the bloc’s agenda going forward.

On Friday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi set the mood for the two-day summit by agreeing to strengthen his country’s special relationship with Russia. According to India’s foreign ministry, Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the Russia-Ukraine and Iran wars as well as vowed to continue negotiations over defense and energy issues.

India is the second-largest buyer of Russian oil after China. New Delhi previously vowed to increase bilateral trade with Moscow from nearly $70 billion in 2025 to $100 billion ​by 2030, despite repeated U.S. threats against countries that trade with the Kremlin or continue to purchase Russian crude. At the same time, New Delhi has managed to maintain its close ties with Washington in a way that most other BRICS governments, including Beijing, have failed to do.

Meanwhile, experts say Chinese President Xi Jinping will aim to push his own agenda during what will be his first visit to India in seven years. Over the weekend, he is expected to hold a sidelines conversation with Modi to discuss a long-running border dispute, opportunities for greater Chinese investment, and their shared roles in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. He is also likely to push India on its massive trade deficit with China, as Beijing is New Delhi’s biggest business partner.

But dissent between the bloc’s two wealthiest nations will not be the group’s only schism. The U.S.-Iran war—and Tehran’s attacks on U.S. allies in the Persian Gulf—has also increased tensions among the group’s members. During a BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting in May, also held in India, the bloc failed to come to a consensus on how to address the conflict. Then in August, the United Arab Emirates (a BRICS member) suspended all trade with fellow member Iran over its continued attacks on Emirati soil.

Despite the theme of this year’s summit being “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation, and Sustainability,” BRICS nations may find it difficult to achieve the level of collaboration needed to craft a cohesive message amid growing internal disunity.

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**What We’re Following**

**Remembering 9/11.** Friday marked the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States, considered the deadliest foreign assault on U.S. soil in history. Seven moments of silence were observed at a memorial ceremony in New York City to mark the times when hijacked planes crashed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania.

The silences also recognized when both New York City buildings collapsed as well as all those who later died from cancer or other illnesses from inhaling toxic dust in the attack’s aftermath. More than 2,900 people were killed, including hundreds of first responders, on Sept. 11, 2001, and at least 9,500 others have died from 9/11-related diseases.

“Twenty-five years on, it’s still h