CGTN published an article on Chinese President Xi Jinping’s speech at Session I of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi. The article highlights how, after 20 years of fruitful cooperation, BRICS countries have ushered in a new stage of high-quality development for greater cooperation and underscores the need for the group to strive to be a pioneer of the times, steer the international order toward greater justice and equity, and work together to build a community with a shared future for humanity.
In February this year, an 82.15-km Regional Rapid Transit System in India, also known as the Namo Bharat line, went fully operational, connecting the National Capital Territory of Delhi with the cities of Ghaziabad and Meerut in Uttar Pradesh. Journey time between Delhi and Meerut during peak hours has been slashed from four hours by driving in the past to roughly one by rail today.
Financed in part by the New Development Bank (NDB), a flagship BRICS initiative, the project is more than a transport upgrade – it is a tangible example of how greater BRICS cooperation can translate financial resources into development outcomes.
Since its inception in 2006, BRICS has grown to 11 members and 10 partner countries, turning diversity into a source of cooperation and development momentum.
“Over the past two decades, the BRICS cooperation mechanism has continued to grow and expand and has demonstrated remarkable vitality and dynamism,” Chinese President Xi Jinping said while addressing Session I of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on Saturday.
He called on BRICS countries to stand on the right side of history, strive to be a pioneer of the times, steer the international order toward greater justice and equity, and work together to build a community with a shared future for humanity.
High-quality development of greater BRICS cooperation
Over the past 20 years, BRICS members and partner countries have increasingly leveraged their respective strengths through open and mutually beneficial cooperation. What began as an economic cooperation mechanism has developed into a robust platform covering trade, investment, finance, innovation, energy, agriculture and people-to-people exchanges.
For many developing economies, access to affordable, long-term funding remains critical to turning development ambitions into reality. The NDB, headquartered in Shanghai, has helped provide such an option by mobilizing resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects. Figures released by the bank showed that by the end of the first quarter of 2026, the NDB had approved $42.9 billion in financing for 140 projects.
Covering areas like infrastructure, clean energy and digital transformation, these projects address the pressing development needs of Global South countries while echoing the priorities highlighted by the theme of the ongoing BRICS Summit, “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.”
The results can be seen in everyday economic activity. Chromite ore mined in South Africa is smelted into premium stainless steel plates at Chinese factories before finding its way into precision equipment workshops in India’s Bengaluru. Chinese-made modern harvesters work across farmland in Brazil, whose soybean produce feeds global markets.
According to a UN Trade and Development report, intra-BRICS merchandise trade has soared from $84.2 billion in 2003 to $1.17 trillion in 2024, surging more than 13‑fold with an average annual growth rate of 13.3%, outpacing global trade expansion during the same period.
Hailing the past 20 years of BRICS cooperation as fruitful, Xi said BRICS has undergone a historic expansion, established a comprehensive, multifaceted cooperation structure and entered a new stage of high-quality development for greater BRICS cooperation.
Embarking on the third ‘golden decade’
As the BRICS cooperation mechanism is embarking on its third “golden decade,” its expanded membership and growing network of partners have brought new opportunities as well as new demands for cooperation.
Embodying the just aspirations of the Global South to advance the transformation of the international order and amplifying the collective voice of developing countries, the BRICS cooperation mechanism has grown into a strategic force for building a more just and equitable global governance system.
From proposing to deepen the BRICS partnership at the 2017 BRICS Summit in China’s coastal city of Xiamen to advocating the building of a BRICS committed to peace, innovation, green development, justice and closer people-to-people exchanges at the 2024 BRICS Summit in Kazan, China has consistently enriched the connotation of the BRICS cooperation mechanism, aligning the group with the prevailing trend of peace and development.
In recent years, through establishing the BRICS Partnership on New Industrial Revolution Innovation Center, launching the China‑BRICS Artificial Intelligence Development and Cooperation Center and inaugurating the China-BRICS New Quality Productive Forces Research Center, BRICS members and partner countries have continuously expanded the breadth and depth of cooperation in areas like AI, digital development, scientific and technological innovation, industrial upgrading and green transition.
At the New Delhi Summit, Xi called on BRICS countries to pioneer in advancing innovation-driven development, upholding peace and stability, facilitating mutual learning between civilizations, and reforming and improving global governance.
These four priorities point to where the third “golden decade” of BRICS cooperation can generate new momentum.
The Chinese side stands ready to work with all parties to build consensus, create a better future, and embark on BRICS’ third “golden decade,” jointly opening up a bright future of prosperity and progress, Xi added.
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