The BRICS bloc has wrapped its New Delhi summit with a joint declaration that comes down hard on unilateral tariffs and sanctions — language that lands squarely in the middle of the trade fight Canada is currently having with Washington.
The New Delhi Declaration says the group is “concerned about the rise of unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures which distort trade and are inconsistent with WTO rules,” and condemns “unilateral coercive measures that are contrary to international law,” naming economic sanctions and secondary sanctions.
None of that mentions Canada or the United States by name. But it is the same argument Ottawa has been making at the WTO and in public, now signed by eleven countries representing roughly half the world’s population.
India’s payments push landed softly
We reported before the summit that India wanted BRICS members to link their central bank digital currencies to speed up cross-border payments — a proposal its own officials were careful to say was not an attempt to displace the U.S. dollar.
The declaration acknowledges work on “promoting trade settlements and investments using BRICS local currencies” while respecting national priorities, and states plainly that there is “no one-size-fits-all approach” to cross-border payment mechanisms among members. That is an agreement to keep working on it, not a system. India got the subject onto the page; it did not get a unified mechanism out of the room.
The Middle East
On the widening conflict, the declaration expresses deep concern about escalating tensions and calls for “exercising maximum restraint, as well as avoiding actions that could further aggravate the situation,” urging protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure.
The document also calls for reform of global governance bodies, including stronger representation for developing countries on the UN Security Council.
