Modi’s comment carried a message for both China, which restricted exports of key critical minerals and other industrial inputs, and the US, which used tariffs and technology curbs as economic leverage.
The 18th BRICS summit in New Delhi concluded on Sunday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi sending a subtle but strong message to both the bloc’s member China and its principal geopolitical adversary, the United States, by warning against the weaponisation of technology and critical minerals.
“The weaponisation of technology and critical minerals can hinder our shared progress,” Modi, who hosted the summit, said in his opening remarks at the concluding session on “Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability: Shaping the Future for Inclusive Global Growth”. “Therefore,” he said, “we have emphasised inclusivity in the adoption of technology.”
Modi’s comment carried a message for both China, which restricted exports of key critical minerals and other industrial inputs, and the US, which used tariffs and technology curbs as economic leverage.
Among the BRICS leaders present at the concluding session of the two-day summit at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi was the Chinese President Xi Jinping, who would host the 19th annual conclave of the 11-nation bloc next year.
Xi, in his address, proposed a five-point initiative to deepen BRICS cooperation in trade and investment, digital industries, smart manufacturing and technology. He suggested a China-led initiative to promote open-source and inclusive artificial intelligence . “China will take the lead in establishing a BRICS AI open-source zone, supporting cooperation in the development and application of large language models, conducting specialised AI training programs, and building an open AI ecosystem,” he said.
His proposal came against the backdrop of US efforts to restrict the international availability of some advanced AI technologies, including a brief export restriction on Anthropic’s latest models earlier this year.
Modi’s warning against the weaponisation of technology and critical minerals stemmed from India’s own experience. The US had for decades restricted India’s access to sensitive nuclear and dual-use technologies after its 1974 and 1998 nuclear tests. China’s restrictions on critical-mineral exports disrupted supplies of rare-earth magnets to Indian manufacturers.
India is wholly import-dependent for lithium, nickel and cobalt, while China dominates global processing of lithium, cobalt and rare earths, accounting for 60 per cent, 68 per cent and 90 per cent, respectively.
Modi noted that supply-chain disruptions, along with pandemics and climate disasters, had shown that no crisis would remain confined to a single region in today’s interconnected world.
“The BRICS Logistics Supply Chain Cooperation Framework will help make our supply chains more reliable and resilient,” the prime minister said. He added: “We believe that the benefits of solutions developed within BRICS should not remain confined to BRICS alone. They should be made adaptable and accessible to meet the needs of the Global South.”
Xi’s other proposals focused on deepening economic and technological ties among the BRICS members. He proposed a partnership for special economic zones, a digital industry cloud platform for technology exchanges and industry matchmaking, cooperation in building smart factories and a BRICS engineer training alliance. China, he said, will also host the BRICS Services Trade Forum next year.
Xi said that BRICS should maintain the “stability and smooth flow” of industrial and supply chains and cultivate an integrated market, while upgrading traditional industries and developing emerging and future industries.
