San Francisco Frontiers - China, Russia, Iran leaders gather in India as BRICS nations seek common ground

Xi told the summit that the Middle East war "does not serve the common interests of the international community", according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua.

Foreign ministers of the BRICS grouping failed to agree on a joint statement when they met in New Delhi in May, with Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates divided over the war that began with US-Israeli strikes on February 28.

However, Indian diplomatic sources said leaders were working towards a joint position on some issues as the bloc seeks to bolster its global influence and address conflict, trade turbulence and energy security.

BRICS was created in 2009 as a forum for major emerging economies seeking greater influence in institutions dominated by Western powers.

"We have to transform this pyramid of privilege into a platform of partnership," Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Xi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and other leaders.

Modi, opening the two-day summit, called for a system "where every country has a voice, every member has a stake, and humanity's development is at the centre of every effort".

He told leaders that BRICS nations "represent 50 percent of the world's population, 40 percent of global GDP, and more than 25 percent of global trade".

The Middle East conflict was high on the agenda.

India maintains cordial relations with Iran and Israel, but is also careful to strike a delicate balance in its ties with Washington.

Iran's Pezeshkian attended the summit shortly after warning that the Middle East does not need the United States to be a "regional policeman", with the two countries at war and tensions threatening the vital Strait of Hormuz.

UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan is also at the summit in New Delhi, as is Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan is expected to join later on Saturday.

India has navigated the energy crisis caused by the US-Iran war in part by turning to Russia, despite Moscow's war in Ukraine and pressure from Washington and other Western capitals.

Modi embraced Putin before talks on Friday. Putin, who last visited India in December 2025, is one of New Delhi's most important strategic partners.

- 'Handling differences' -

But the summit's other major focus is China.

Xi's visit is also being closely watched because it is his first to neighbouring India since 2019, and the biggest step yet in a cautious thaw between the nuclear-armed rivals.

Xi was given a red-carpet welcome, with an honour guard of soldiers and traditional dancers in colourful dresses, and greeted with a handshake by Modi at the summit venue.

His visit comes six years after a deadly military clash along their disputed Tibetan border, with ties gradually improving through restored flights, visas and high-level contacts.

Beijing said ahead of his visit that it was "ready to work with India... by strengthening communication, enhancing cooperation, and properly handling differences".

The underlying territorial dispute remains unresolved, and both sides retain heavy military deployments along their roughly 3,500-kilometre (2,175-mile) high-altitude border with Tibet.

Xi is due to hold face-to-face talks with Modi later on Saturday, according to New Delhi's foreign ministry.

"They are looking for 'early and substantial harvest' when it comes to the border issue," said Pradeep Taneja, a China-India expert at the University of Melbourne.

"You cannot have a build-up of your forces on the border... but at the same time say 'we should continue to have people-to-people relations and economic relationships'."

Deep mistrust remains, with their contested Himalayan frontier, a widening trade deficit and strategic rivalry continuing to complicate ties.

Dozens of Tibetans protested in New Delhi on Friday -- exiles, like their Buddhist leader the Dalai Lama, who has lived in India since fleeing a Chinese crackdown in 1959 -- waving placards against Xi's visit.

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G.Allen--SFF