📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Prime Minister's Office
International
India's BRICS Rise Sparks Concern Among Neighbouring Nations
✍️ ThePrint
🗓 13 Sep 2026, 08:06 PM
👁 3
India's expanding role in BRICS is drawing attention from its South Asian neighbours, who fear being sidelined in the bloc's future initiatives.
New Delhi has emerged as a pivotal player within the BRICS grouping, leveraging its economic size and strategic location to shape the bloc's agenda. Analysts note that India's leadership in areas such as trade facilitation, digital cooperation and climate finance is enhancing its diplomatic clout on the global stage.
Neighbouring countries, including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Myanmar, are closely monitoring these developments. Officials from these states have expressed unease that the expanding BRICS framework could bypass their economies, limiting access to investment and technology partnerships.
The concern is prompting diplomatic outreach, with several neighbours seeking observer status or deeper engagement with BRICS mechanisms. While India welcomes broader regional participation, it stresses that membership criteria will remain based on economic and political benchmarks.
The evolving dynamics underscore a shift in South Asian geopolitics, where India's ascendancy in BRICS may redefine regional cooperation patterns and influence future trade corridors.
Neighbouring countries, including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Myanmar, are closely monitoring these developments. Officials from these states have expressed unease that the expanding BRICS framework could bypass their economies, limiting access to investment and technology partnerships.
The concern is prompting diplomatic outreach, with several neighbours seeking observer status or deeper engagement with BRICS mechanisms. While India welcomes broader regional participation, it stresses that membership criteria will remain based on economic and political benchmarks.
The evolving dynamics underscore a shift in South Asian geopolitics, where India's ascendancy in BRICS may redefine regional cooperation patterns and influence future trade corridors.