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As of March 31, 2025, fresh details have emerged from the gala dinner hosted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for BRICS leaders and delegates on the evening of March 29 at the Bharat Mandapam convention center in New Delhi. The event, a highlight of India’s chairship of the 18th BRICS Summit, drew Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, and WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, among other global figures.
The dinner came just hours after BRICS member states unanimously adopted the New Delhi Declaration 2026, a document that presses for sweeping reforms in international financial institutions, stronger representation of developing countries in the UN Security Council, and a renewed focus on multilateralism. The declaration also expressed deep concern over the escalating situation in West Asia and called for immediate restraint and a durable ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
A blend of diplomacy and culture
The evening’s program included a specially curated performance titled “Navarasa – The Universe of Shared Emotions,” which drew on classical Indian aesthetics to symbolize the emotional spectrum of international cooperation. A collaborative orchestration, “One Rhythm, Many Cultures,” brought together musicians from BRICS member and partner states, delivering a medley that fused Indian ragas, African percussion, and Chinese pentatonic melodies.
Union Ministers Kiren Rijiju, Sarbananda Sonowal, Arjun Ram Meghwal, along with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, traveled together by bus to the venue – a deliberate show of solidarity and frugality. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Home Minister Amit Shah, Health Minister JP Nadda, and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla also arrived separately, underscoring the administration’s full-throttled hospitality.
Xi-Modi meeting steals the spotlight
A pivotal bilateral meeting between Modi and Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the summit garnered particular attention. Xi, making his second visit to New Delhi in twelve years, noted that the two leaders had met more than twenty times in that span. “Although China and India are different, we have been able to support and help each other to achieve common development,” Xi said, stressing that both nations, as the world’s most populous countries and key members of the Global South, share a responsibility for a “shared future for humanity.”
Modi thanked China for its support during India’s BRICS chairmanship, adding, “We now have the opportunity to discuss bilateral cooperation. Once again, a warm welcome to India.” The meeting, analysts say, signals a thaw after years of tension along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh.
U.S. and Western perspectives
From a U.S. standpoint, the BRICS summit and its declaration carry complex implications. Washington has watched the bloc’s expansion – now encompassing nine full members including Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE – with growing unease. “BRICS is coalescing around an alternative governance narrative that explicitly challenges the post-1945 order,” said Dr. Emily Landon, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations in a March 31 analysis. “The New Delhi Declaration’s call for ‘strengthened representation of developing countries’ directly targets U.S. influence in the IMF and World Bank.”
Experts note that while the group remains ideologically diverse, the joint push for de-dollarization and alternative payment systems is gaining momentum. The declaration reiterated a commitment to “encourage the use of local currencies in trade and financial transactions,” a clause that could erode the dollar’s hegemony over time.
Next steps: China takes the helm
Xi Jinping announced that China will assume the BRICS chairship next year and host the 19th BRICS Summit. “The Chinese side will seize the opportunity to build consensus and work with all parties to plan for the future,” he said, adding a vision for the “third golden decade of BRICS cooperation.” Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, later confirmed that preparations have already begun for the 2026 summit.
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