BRICS cooperation has reached an important turning point. What began two decades ago as a dialogue among four emerging economies has developed into a broader platform representing a substantial share of the world’s population, economic output and political influence. Its expansion has given the grouping greater weight, but it has also raised a more demanding question: can BRICS convert its growing size into effective cooperation?

The answer will depend on whether BRICS can translate political vision into practical results. At the just-concluded BRICS summit in New Delhi, Chinese President Xi Jinping called on BRICS countries to become “four pioneers”: pioneers in innovation-driven development, peace and stability, mutual learning between civilizations, and reform of global governance.  These four priorities offer a useful framework for understanding the grouping’s future responsibilities – and for testing whether it can meet them.

BRICS does not need to become a military or ideological bloc. Its value lies in bringing together major emerging economies and developing countries to coordinate their interests, strengthen the voice of the Global South and promote a more balanced international order. But declarations alone will not be enough. The credibility of BRICS will ultimately be measured by what it delivers.

The first of Xi’s four proposals is for BRICS to become a pioneer in innovation-driven development. This is perhaps the most direct response to the economic challenges facing emerging economies.

Many countries in the Global South remain constrained by weak industrial capacity, limited access to finance, technological dependence and vulnerability to fluctuations in commodity prices. They need more than market access. They need the ability to produce, innovate and move up the value chain.

BRICS cooperation should therefore focus on industrial upgrading, scientific research, artificial intelligence, digital connectivity and skills development. Xi has proposed greater cooperation in areas including AI, digital industries, smart manufacturing and science-and-technology talent development. These initiatives could help emerging economies participate more actively in the next phase of technological change.

However, technological cooperation will require more than sharing equipment or signing agreements. BRICS members need to develop open and inclusive platforms, support joint research and expand digital-skills training. They also need common approaches to data security, intellectual-property protection, cybersecurity and responsible AI governance.

This is closely connected to the idea of high-quality development. High-quality development is not simply rapid growth. It means higher productivity, stronger innovation, better jobs, environmental sustainability and greater resilience. BRICS should help its members move from dependence on raw materials and low-value manufacturing toward more advanced and productive economic activities.

China’s experience offers important lessons, but it should not be treated as a universal model. Each country must identify its own comparative advantages and development priorities. The broader lesson is that successful development requires investment in infrastructure, education, technology and institutions, as well as the flexibility to adjust policies as circumstances change.

Xi’s second proposal is for BRICS to become a pioneer in upholding peace and stability. This is especially important in a world marked by geopolitical rivalry, regional conflicts, unilateral sanctions and growing uncertainty.

BRICS can provide a platform for dialogue and help defend the principles of the United Nations Charter. Its members can support political settlements, oppose the use of force and encourage diplomatic solutions to international disputes.

This responsibility begins with the relationship between China and India. The two countries are major developing economies, leading members of BRICS and important representatives of the Global South. Their cooperation could strengthen the grouping, while prolonged confrontation could weaken its cohesion.

True, China and India have differences. They also compete in manufacturing, technology, trade and regional influence. But competition does not have to become confrontation. As Xi has said, the two countries should approach their relationship from a strategic and long-term perspective and seek to learn from each other’s strengths.

A stable China-India relationship would benefit not only the two countries but also the wider BRICS mechanism. Practical cooperation could begin in areas such as public health, climate change, food security, development finance, trade facilitation and people-to-people exchanges. The objective should not be to eliminate all differences, but to manage them responsibly and prevent bilateral tensions from blocking cooperation on shared interests.

BRICS will also need consistency in its approach to international crises. A credible commitment to peace cannot be selective. The group should apply its principles fairly, regardless of which major power or regional actor is involved.

Xi’s third proposal is for BRICS to become a pioneer in facilitating mutual learning between civilizations. This dimension is sometimes underestimated because it appears less concrete than trade, finance or technology. In fact, it is essential to building durable cooperation.

BRICS brings together countries with different political systems, cultural traditions, religions and historical experiences. Their diversity is not necessarily a weakness. It can become a source of creativity if members treat differences as an opportunity for learning rather than as a reason for suspicion.

China and India offer a particularly important example. Both are ancient civilizations with rich intellectual traditions and long histories of cultural exchange. Both have pursued modernization while seeking to preserve distinctive national identities. Greater exchanges among universities, think tanks, filmmakers, young people and business communities could help reduce misunderstanding and strengthen social foundations for bilateral relations.

Mutual learning should not be reduced to cultural performances or official commemorations. It should include serious exchanges on development policy, poverty reduction, urbanization, education, healthcare, environmental protection and digital transformation.

Such exchanges can also make economic cooperation more sustainable. Business relationships depend not only on contracts but also on trust and familiarity. People-to-people ties can provide a foundation for cooperation when political relations face difficulties.

Xi’s fourth proposal is for BRICS to become a pioneer in reforming and improving global governance. This is the area in which BRICS is likely to face the greatest expectations.

The existing international system has delivered important benefits, but its institutions no longer fully reflect the distribution of population, economic power and political influence. Developing countries remain underrepresented in major financial institutions, while the global trading system has become increasingly fragmented.

BRICS should push for practical reforms in the United Nations, the IMF, the World Bank and the WTO. Priorities could include greater representation for developing countries, improved access to development finance, more effective debt-management mechanisms, stronger climate financing and fairer rules for digital trade.

The grouping should also promote cooperation in local-currency settlement and cross-border payments, while recognizing that building a stable international financial system requires transparency, sound regulation and confidence among participants.

At the same time, BRICS should avoid turning global governance reform into a zero-sum contest between the Global South and the West. A more representative system should also be more effective. BRICS will gain wider international support if it presents itself as a force for inclusion, stability and problem-solving rather than as an instrument of confrontation.

The “four pioneers” provide BRICS with a coherent political framework. Innovation addresses development; peace creates the conditions for prosperity; mutual learning builds trust; and global-governance reform gives emerging countries a stronger voice.

But the framework will matter only if it produces measurable outcomes. Expansion alone will not make BRICS stronger. A larger grouping will be meaningful only if it can build trust, manage differences and deliver benefits to its members and the wider Global South.

Xi’s “four-pioneer” proposal gives BRICS a timely direction. The challenge now is to move from principle to practice. The Global South does not need another grand promise. It needs a platform that helps countries develop, trade, innovate, preserve peace and participate more fairly in global decision-making.

BRICS can become such a platform, but only if its ambition is matched by openness, discipline and action.

Jianxi Liu is a Beijing-based analyst of political and international relations. With 10 years of experience in media, she writes on topics pertaining to the US, the EU and the Middle East.