The 18th BRICS Summit will convene in New Delhi on September 12 and 13. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the iconic acronym "BRIC," which first appeared in a Goldman Sachs economic research report in 2001.

Amid this milestone, a British scholar recently observed that "the West cannot ignore BRICS for another 25 years" - an assessment that captures the grouping's evolution from a mere economic forecasting concept into a cornerstone of the global governance architecture. At this turning point, three forces are quietly reshaping the future of the international order: BRICS' proven resilience, the West's persistent misreading of its rise, and the choices all sides must now make in a shifting world.

First and foremost, BRICS' vitality is anchored in a solid foundation of hard power. Today, the 11 official BRICS members represent roughly 49.5 percent of the world's population, account for nearly 40 percent of global GDP and command around a quarter of global trade. Combined with the 10 partner countries that joined in 2025, BRICS has solidified itself among the Global South's most formidable communities of shared interests. Unlike many loose regional arrangements, BRICS' growth has consistently been driven by strong internal momentum.

Even more crucial to BRICS' vitality is the continuous upgrading of its cooperation framework. Over 25 years, BRICS has moved far beyond its initial economic dialogue format to build a comprehensive, multi-layered and multi-dimensional architecture that spans trade, finance, security, technology, people-to-people exchanges and global governance.

Furthermore, as the core representative of the Global South, BRICS' dynamism shines brightest in its steadfast defense of multilateralism. Amid rising unilateralism and protectionism, and as certain powers cling to a hegemonistic mind-set that fuels bloc politics, BRICS has consistently upheld the banner of multilateralism.

It is evident that the upcoming New Delhi BRICS Summit serves as a sharp strategic wake-up call to the West. Over the past 25 years, the perceptions of Western elites regarding BRICS have been plagued by deep-seated cognitive misalignments.

The first misjudgment was reducing BRICS to a "short-term economic fad." Viewing BRICS through a patronizing lens, some Western analysts assumed these economies would remain mere destinations for outsourced industrial capacity or raw material exporters for developed economies. They never anticipated that BRICS would evolve into an independent player in global governance, capable of establishing multilateral financial and trade cooperation frameworks beyond complete Western control.

The second miscalculation lies in an entrenched narrative of division. Some Western observers frequently assume that the geopolitical divergences among BRICS members far outweigh their consensus, predicting that economic divergence will inevitably cause the grouping to fracture. They sensationalize frictions between member countries, such as China-India border disputes, and repeatedly prophesy that BRICS will "fail," "become irrelevant," or even "fall apart." Yet the facts prove otherwise: by adhering to the principles of equality, mutual benefit and consensus-building, BRICS nations have refused to be manipulated by "divide and rule" strategies. Instead, under external pressure, they have repeatedly strengthened internal synergy and continuously broadened their circle of partnerships.

The third miscalculation is the disregard for the Global South's development aspirations, misinterpreting BRICS' legitimate demands as a "challenge to hegemony" and viewing its expansion as a "threat" to the West-dominated order. Through this zero-sum lens, the rules of global governance can only be dictated by the West; any attempt by BRICS to secure a fair voice for the Global South is reflexively labeled as "revisionism." Weaponizing ideological divides, Western powers have resorted to unilateral sanctions, technological blockades and trade barriers. Far from weakening the coalition, these actions have driven more developing nations to align with BRICS, expanding the Global South's cooperative front.

For the foreseeable future, the relationship between the West and BRICS will be characterized by a mix of competition and pragmatic engagement. Complex global challenges - ranging from digital service taxation and energy crises to economic recovery, climate change and counter-terrorism - are well beyond the capacity of a small club of Western nations to resolve unilaterally. A growing realization can be seen among Western elites that a strategy of outright exclusion is unsustainable. Amid sluggish global recovery, persistent inflation and compounded security risks, self-interest will compel the West to seek pragmatic engagement with BRICS in unavoidable arenas like climate governance and digital taxation.

Moreover, hegemonistic mind-sets and protectionist policies will not vanish overnight. The West will not voluntarily surrender its dominance over advanced technology and financial rulemaking and will continue to attempt to restrict BRICS' growth through various barriers.

The upcoming BRICS Summit in New Delhi marks both a crucial milestone for defining the cooperation roadmap of an expanded BRICS and a key starting point for recalibrating relations within the global order. Having shattered Western stereotypes through its actual performance over the past 25 years, BRICS - alongside all progressive global forces - will help shape a more inclusive and balanced global multilateral system over the next quarter-century.