Chinese President Xi Jinping has called on BRICS nations to play a stronger role in promoting peace and preventing further escalation in the Middle East and Gulf region, warning that the widening conflict has already caused serious suffering and instability.
Call to Prevent Further Escalation
Xi’s remarks came as the crisis in West Asia dominated discussions at the summit. The conflict has raised concerns about wider regional instability, particularly because of its potential impact on the Gulf and key international trade and energy routes.
The Chinese president argued that BRICS should take a more active role in supporting peace and diplomatic engagement. His message focused on the need to prevent the conflict from spreading further and to protect civilians who have been affected by continued violence.
The issue is particularly sensitive for the expanded BRICS grouping, which includes countries with different positions and interests in the Middle East crisis. The situation has therefore become a major test of the bloc’s ability to find common ground on a rapidly escalating geopolitical issue.
BRICS Declaration Calls for Restraint
The concerns expressed by Xi were also reflected in the joint declaration adopted at the New Delhi summit. BRICS leaders expressed deep concern over the continued escalation of tensions in the Middle East and West Asia and called for maximum restraint, urging all sides to avoid actions that could further worsen the situation.
The declaration marked an important diplomatic outcome for the summit, as negotiators had been working to bridge differences among member states over the language used to address the conflict.
A Difficult Test for the Expanded Bloc
The 2026 BRICS summit is taking place at a time when the grouping itself is trying to balance economic cooperation with increasingly complex geopolitical differences. The conflict involving Iran has added another challenge because BRICS now includes several countries directly connected to the wider regional situation.
Despite these differences, the leaders managed to agree on a common message calling for restraint and a reduction in tensions. For Xi, the summit also provided an opportunity to argue that BRICS should move beyond economic cooperation and contribute more actively to international peace and stability.
Focus Turns to Diplomacy
Xi’s statement underlined a broader concern shared by many countries: that a prolonged or expanding conflict could have consequences far beyond the Middle East. Any further escalation could affect energy markets, international trade routes and the wider global economy.
With the situation remaining volatile, the focus at the BRICS summit has increasingly shifted toward diplomatic engagement and efforts to prevent the crisis from spreading. Xi’s call for a stronger peace-building role reflects China’s position that dialogue and political efforts should take priority over further escalation.
The statement from New Delhi has added another major diplomatic dimension to the BRICS summit, placing the Middle East crisis alongside economic cooperation, global governance and development as one of the most important issues confronting the grouping.
Journalist: Vijay Singh