India on Sunday flagged concerns over the “ weaponisation ” of technology and critical minerals at the Brics Summit on Sunday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling for greater cooperation within the grouping to develop solutions that can be extended to countries of the Global South to foster inclusive global growth.
Modi did not name any countries while making these remarks at the outreach session of the summit, attended by leaders of the 10 member states and as many partner countries, though his Comments appeared to be aimed at China, whose restrictions on exports of both rare earths and critical hi-tech equipment in recent years have impacted India.
The concluding session of the two-day Brics Summit hosted by India was focused on the theme of “Resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability: Shaping the future for inclusive global growth”, and Modi emphasised that the strength of Brics lies in its diversity and cooperation.
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“The weaponisation of technology and critical minerals can hinder our shared progress. Therefore, we have emphasised inclusivity in the adoption of technology,” he said, speaking in Hindi.
Brics members are “rooted in different realities”, but can rise together through cooperation, he noted. At the same time, solutions developed by Brics should be made adaptable and accessible to meet the needs of the Global South because the bloc has promoted inclusive global growth.
Against the backdrop of India positioning itself as the voice of the Global South, Modi said the confidence of developing countries in Brics has grown because their views are heard within the grouping, their experiences are respected and “solutions are developed not for them, but together with them”.
The increasing resilience of Brics member states is important to navigate the fractious geopolitical environment and India’s presidency of the grouping focused on the four pillars of resilience, innovation, cooperation, and sustainability, Modi said. The support of the Brics member states has helped translate a shared vision into win-win cooperation, he said.
“Today, the number of conflicts and tensions in the world is continuously increasing and this is having an increasingly negative and far-reaching impact on the lives of ordinary people,” Modi said. “Pandemics, climate disasters and supply chain disruptions have shown that in today’s interconnected world, no crisis remains confined to a single region. Therefore, within the Brics group, we have placed special emphasis on strengthening resilience.”
Modi also called for identifying challenges in time and taking prompt action in order to strengthen resilience within the grouping. “With this approach, we have agreed on a Brics Integrated Early Warning System for the prevention of and response to infectious diseases. Early Warning Data Integration Guidelines have been prepared for disaster management. The BRICS Logistics Supply Chain Cooperation Framework will help make our supply chains more reliable and resilient,” he said.
Under the pillar of innovation, the Brics Incubator Network will connect startups and incubators and the Brics Startup Innovation Fund has been proposed to promote innovative and scalable solutions. The Brics Network on Digital Agriculture will create new opportunities for farmers by connecting AI, geospatial technology and digital public infrastructure to their real needs.
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India has also focused on ensuring that Brics cooperation doesn’t remain limited to governments. Through the Brics Connect initiative, it promoted employability, women in the workforce and Social Security, while the Brics MSME Cooperation Portal helped connect small enterprises with knowledge, finance and new markets. The Brics Urban Mobility Hub is facilitating the sharing of best practices among cities.
In the context of sustainability, the Brics Digital Centre of Excellence was established for smart grids and to make clean energy systems more reliable and efficient. The Centres of Excellence for Agro-Ecology and Regenerative Agriculture have helped connect traditional knowledge with modern science, Modi said.
At the conclusion of the session, Modi emphasised that Brics was not just a grouping of countries but an “eco-system of solutions” and the New Delhi Declaration adopted on Saturday will give clear direction to the bloc’s shared vision and future cooperation. “With Brics entering its third decade, the world expects not just ideas and commitments but concrete results from us,” he said, while conveying his support to China for hosting next year’s Brics Summit.
