BRICS Summit Takes Aim at U.S. Influence Over the Global Economy
Leaders at the BRICS summit in New Delhi adopted a joint statement demanding reform of Western-led financial institutions and criticizing unilateral tariffs, though the bloc remained divided over Russia, Iran and its stance toward the United States.
Joint Statement Targets Unilateral Tariffs
On September 12, BRICS leaders meeting in New Delhi adopted a 140-point joint statement calling for reform of Western-dominated institutions — the World Trade Organization (WTO), the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank — to give developing countries greater say in policymaking. The statement criticized a "proliferation of trade-restrictive actions inconsistent with WTO rules," including indiscriminate tariff hikes and protectionism disguised as environmental policy. As MLex reported on September 14, BRICS members additionally demanded the immediate restoration of the WTO's two-tier dispute-settlement (appeals) system and greater influence for developing economies, warning that unilateral tariffs and climate-linked trade barriers threaten global growth and disrupt supply chains.
While the statement does not name the United States or President Trump directly, observers view it as an indirect rebuke of the Trump administration's trade policies.
A Lack of Unity
Despite the shared rhetoric, the summit — as reported by Oilprice.com/Eurasianet — failed to present a united anti-Western front, echoing the outcome of the earlier Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit. India, this year's host, has continued to act as a brake on efforts to de-dollarize the global economy. The statement omits any mention of the Russia-Ukraine war, seen as a win for the Kremlin, while its call for "maximum restraint" over the Israel-Iran-U.S. conflict in the Gulf avoided taking a clear pro-Tehran stance.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian held a one-on-one meeting with Abu Dhabi's crown prince, Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed, seen as a symbolic effort to counter the perception that the U.S. is succeeding in economically isolating Iran, although Abu Dhabi's subsequent statement was noncommittal. Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev skipped the summit entirely, opting instead for a state visit to South Korea, which will also host a C5+1 meeting with all Central Asian states on September 16.
Kazakhstan's Balancing Act
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev struck a middle-of-the-road tone, stressing the need for dialogue among nuclear powers to reduce risks tied to new technologies and a potential new arms race. He described BRICS as "an open platform for practical cooperation." On the sidelines, Tokayev met with the U.S. ambassador to India and Trump's special representative for Central Asia, Sergio Gor, expressing hope to attend the G20 meeting in Miami in December and pressing for faster progress on bilateral deals, including repeal of Kazakhstan's Jackson-Vanik trade status.
