Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are set to attend the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, from October 22 to 24, as announced by their foreign ministries on Friday. Both leaders will participate at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
During the summit, Xi will take part in the leaders’ meeting, expert dialogues, and other scheduled events, engaging in in-depth discussions on the current global landscape, according to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning. She emphasized China’s readiness to collaborate with all parties to enhance BRICS cooperation, fostering a new era of unity and self-reliance among Global South nations, and promoting peace and development worldwide.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs confirmed Modi’s participation, noting that the summit will focus on strengthening multilateralism and will serve as an important platform for leaders to address key global issues. Modi is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with other BRICS leaders and representatives from non-BRICS countries during the event.
The 16th BRICS Summit aims to review the progress of existing initiatives and explore new areas for collaboration. BRICS, comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, represents a coalition of major emerging economies.
In addition to the founding members, this year’s summit will welcome leaders from Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the UAE, which joined the bloc during its recent expansion, bringing total membership to nine. Saudi Arabia has also been invited and will be represented by its foreign minister.
Turkey has expressed interest in joining BRICS, with its Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attending a recent BRICS+ meeting in Moscow. Reports indicate that the combined GDP of BRICS has surpassed that of the Group of Seven (G7) nations, accounting for 35.6 percent of global GDP based on purchasing power parity.
In light of the ongoing criticism over the war in Ukraine, President Putin has positioned the summit as an opportunity to strengthen BRICS’ role as a counterbalance to Western influence. Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov stated that 32 countries have confirmed their participation, with 24 represented by heads of state and eight by high-ranking officials, including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
