BRICS summit 2026: What are the key takeaways? - Al Jazeera

**BRICS Summit 2026 – Key Takeaways**

New Delhi hosted the 2026 BRICS summit from September 10‑12, bringing together heads of state from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa for a three‑day program that combined high‑level policy discussions, 15 bilateral meetings and a series of cultural exchanges. The agenda centred on reshaping the bloc’s economic cooperation in the face of “weaponisation” of technology and critical minerals, reinforcing supply‑chain resilience, and projecting a unified stance on global governance reforms. Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened the summit with a note warning against the politicisation of essential resources, a theme echoed by President Xi Jinping, who highlighted the need for a “new development model” that decouples growth from geopolitical pressure.

Among the concrete outcomes, the leaders endorsed a joint declaration to establish a **BRICS Critical Minerals Task Force**, aimed at coordinating extraction, processing and trade of lithium, rare earths and cobalt outside the influence of Western export controls. A parallel **Tech‑Security Working Group** was created to develop standards that prevent the misuse of emerging technologies such as AI, quantum computing and satellite navigation for geopolitical coercion. India, Russia and China signed a trilateral agreement to share research on semiconductor‑free alternatives, while Brazil and South Africa pledged to expand intra‑BRICS trade in agricultural commodities, targeting a 20 % increase by 2030.

The summit also produced several high‑profile diplomatic moments that underscored the bloc’s cohesive image. A spontaneous hug between Iran’s foreign minister Hossein Pezeshkian and Modi captured media attention, while Modi’s car ride with President Putin became a symbol of deepening Indo‑Russian ties despite Western sanctions. The Indian delegation’s jam‑packed schedule—15 bilateral meetings over three days—reflected New Delhi’s ambition to translate summit rhetoric into actionable partnerships. Observers note that the summit’s emphasis on collective self‑reliance signals a strategic shift for BRICS, positioning it as a counterweight to the United States‑EU alliance on critical technology and resource policies.