Archive · 14 Sep 2026
Modi Urges BRICS Cooperation Against Tech, Mineral Weaponisation
Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked BRICS countries to work together during a time of growing global tensions.
He said these tensions are hurting ordinary people in many places.
Modi warned that using technology and important minerals as weapons could slow progress.
He said pandemics, climate disasters and supply problems can spread effects beyond one region.
India’s BRICS presidency focused on resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability.
The countries agreed on plans for warning about infectious diseases earlier.
They also discussed stronger supply chains and cooperation between startups.
A BRICS declaration called for restraint in the Middle East and criticized unilateral sanctions and trade barriers.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged BRICS nations to cooperate as geopolitical tensions increasingly affect ordinary people worldwide.
Modi warned that weaponising technology and critical minerals could undermine shared progress and prosperity.
India’s BRICS presidency focused on resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability, with an emphasis on inclusive growth.
BRICS reached consensus on an integrated early warning system and data-integration guidelines for infectious diseases.
New initiatives cover logistics supply chains and startup cooperation, while the New Delhi Declaration addressed Middle East tensions, sanctions and trade barriers.
- Who
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed BRICS leaders, including Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Masoud Pezeshkian, Anwar Ibrahim and Prabowo Subianto.
- What
- Modi urged BRICS cooperation against geopolitical tensions and the weaponisation of technology and critical minerals, while presenting cooperation initiatives.
- When
- During the concluding session and second day of the two-day BRICS Summit.
- Where
- New Delhi, including the summit venue at Bharat Mandapam.
- Why
- To strengthen resilience, promote inclusive growth and address challenges affecting the Global South.
Targeted Warning
General Warning
Who was the technology warning aimed at?
Targeted Warning
The remarks were made in Xi Jinping’s presence and were described by one report as potentially directed at China’s restrictive policies on critical-mineral exports and high-technology sharing.
General Warning
Modi did not name any country, and the reports also present the warning as a broader call for BRICS cooperation against threats to shared prosperity.
Approach to global challenges
Targeted Warning
BRICS should develop shared systems, stronger supply chains and inclusive access to technology to improve resilience across the Global South.
General Warning
The reports emphasize that countries retain different realities and perspectives, so cooperation should address common problems without imposing solutions on developing nations.
- India’s BRICS priorities
- Resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability.
- Main warning
- Modi said weaponising technology and critical minerals could hinder shared progress and prosperity.
- Health initiative
- BRICS agreed on an integrated early warning system for preventing and responding to infectious diseases, along with data-integration guidelines.
- Supply-chain initiative
- A BRICS logistics supply-chain cooperation framework aims to make supply chains more reliable and resilient.
- Innovation initiative
- A BRICS incubator network will connect startups and incubators.
- Middle East position
- The New Delhi Declaration called for maximum restraint, supported a lasting two-state solution and reaffirmed humanitarian obligations toward Gaza.
- Trade concerns
- The declaration called for an end to unilateral economic sanctions and criticized protectionist policies, arbitrary tariff hikes and green-labelled trade barriers.
