Archive · 27 Aug 2026
BRICS Expansion Puts China-India Cooperation at Global Center
BRICS is a group of countries that work together on economic and other issues.
It started with Brazil, Russia, India and China, and later added South Africa and other countries.
The larger BRICS+ group now includes many countries and represents a large share of the world’s people and economy.
India will host the 2026 BRICS Summit in New Delhi.
India plans to focus on resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability.
China says it supports India’s role as summit host.
The article says China and India are both very large countries with important economies and populations.
It argues that working together would help both countries, while fighting could hurt both.
Better cooperation could also benefit the region and the wider world.
BRICS began with Brazil, Russia, India and China before South Africa joined in 2010.
BRICS+ now comprises 11 members and 10 partner countries, according to the article.
The group represents about 45 percent of the world’s population, while BRICS+ represents about 55 percent.
India’s 2026 BRICS agenda will emphasize resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability.
The article argues that cooperation between China and India could promote shared prosperity, while confrontation could produce losses for both.
- Who
- BRICS member and partner countries, especially China and India.
- What
- The article promotes stronger China-India cooperation within an expanding BRICS+ framework.
- When
- The 2026 BRICS Summit is scheduled for less than a month after the article’s publication.
- Where
- New Delhi, India, which will host the 2026 BRICS Summit.
- Why
- The article says cooperation could support economic growth, shared prosperity and people-centered development, while confrontation could harm both countries.
- BRICS origins
- The BRIC concept was proposed in 2001, the group held its first high-level ministerial meeting in 2006, and its inaugural summit took place in 2009.
- South Africa
- South Africa officially joined the group in December 2010.
- Current membership
- BRICS+ is described as having 11 member countries and 10 partner countries.
- Population share
- BRICS countries account for about 45 percent of the world’s population, while BRICS+ accounts for about 55 percent.
- Economic scale
- BRICS+ economies collectively exceed $30 trillion in nominal GDP, according to the article.
- 2026 agenda
- India’s stated priorities are resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability.
- China-India economic share
- The article says China and India together account for about 28.4 percent of global GDP by purchasing power parity and roughly 20 percent in nominal terms.