Xi urges Brics members to reject sovereignty violations and protectionism

China president Xi Jinping urged countries to “uphold the authority of the United Nations” in his remarks. — AFP pic

First Published: Saturday, 12 Sep 2026 7:23 PM MYT

BEIJING, Sept 12 — Chinese President Xi Jinping called on BRICS member states today to oppose sovereignty violations and reject protectionism, speaking at a summit in India, Beijing’s state media reported.

Xi told the gathering of the 11-member group that BRICS should “oppose violations of other countries’ sovereignty and interference in their internal affairs, (and) constructively participate in resolving hotspot issues,” according to state news agency Xinhua.

Other leaders attending the summit in New Delhi include Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, whose country has been at war since US-Israeli strikes against it on February 28.

“As the situation in the Middle East and the Gulf region continues to evolve, the war there has caused serious losses to people across the region,” Xi said.

He also called on countries to “uphold the authority of the United Nations” in his remarks, Xinhua reported.

On trade, the Chinese president urged countries to “reject all forms of protectionism” and “support the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core”.

The comments come less than two weeks before Xi’s expected visit to Washington, a major trade rival of Beijing. — AFP