Chinese President Xi Jinping wants BRICS to try its hand at peacemaking. Speaking to member nations at a summit in New Delhi on Saturday, Xi called on the bloc to help de-escalate the Middle East conflict, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

The ongoing war, he said, "does not serve the common interests of the international community." China, he pledged, would work with fellow BRICS members toward de-escalation. He also pitched the group as a "leading group" for the Global South and urged innovation-driven development among emerging economies.

There's a practical backdrop here: the Middle East conflict has rattled global energy supplies and undermined regional stability, which is exactly the kind of thing that makes a mediation pitch sound less abstract.

BRICS is no longer the five-member club it started as. It has expanded to include major economies across Asia, Africa and the Middle East, and now represents nearly 50% of the global population and nearly a quarter of world economic output. Xi confirmed China will chair BRICS in 2027, hosting the 19th summit.

The bloc is increasingly viewed as a counterweight to Western-led institutions and groupings such as the G7.

Diplomatic Thaw With India

On the sidelines, Xi met separately with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. According to Xinhua, Xi said Beijing views ties with New Delhi from a "strategic, long-term perspective."

The visit itself is notable: it marked Xi's first trip to India in seven years.

Ties have gradually warmed since the 2020 clash, particularly after a 2024 agreement helped ease the military standoff, and Modi and Xi have held further high-level meetings since.