BRICS can cement development-chain resilience

The world economy has entered an era of repeated disruptions. Geopolitical tensions are deepening, protectionism is on the rise, and global industries and supply chains are becoming increasingly vulnerable to shocks. For many countries in the Global South, the problem is not just how to keep goods moving but also how to move up the economic ladder when technology barriers remain high, financial risks are mounting and traditional sources of growth are losing momentum.

This is where BRICS cooperation can make a difference. As a major platform for the Global South, the expanding BRICS grouping is not only enhancing supply chain security but also laying the foundation for what might be called "development-chain resilience". This refers to the capacity of developing economies not just to withstand disruption but also to build stronger, more independent pathways to long-term growth.

The first step toward achieving development-chain resilience is to make trade more diversified and reliable. The group brings together major agricultural producers, manufacturing economies, energy and resource exporters and large consumer markets.

Their growing complementarity gives countries in the Global South more options for sourcing, exporting and finding partners.

Enhancing standards coordination and technical regulation can also make a significant difference, particularly for small businesses and emerging traders. By harmonizing trade rules and reducing regulatory barriers, BRICS cooperation can help more businesses in the Global South gain access to regional and international markets.

Trade, however, depends on infrastructure. BRICS countries have held three meetings of transport ministers, focusing on improving cross-border connectivity. New air and maritime routes are linking Chinese cities with markets in Brazil and South Africa, while Russia, India and Iran are developing the International North-South Transport Corridor.

On the Xiamen-Durban route, an innovative model based on information sharing, regulatory recognition and law-enforcement cooperation has streamlined customs clearance for participating companies.

Resources form another pillar of resilience. BRICS includes some of the world's largest producers and traders of food and energy. Its members account for more than 40 percent of global oil supplies and more than 70 percent of the world's rare-earth resources. Cooperation frameworks in energy, food security and minerals are therefore central to the security of global supply chains.

Finance matters just as much. Increasing the use of local currencies in intra-BRICS trade can reduce exposure to exchange-rate volatility. Local-currency settlement now accounts for more than 65 percent of trade within BRICS, while the share in China-Russia trade has reached 99 percent. The New Development Bank has also expanded its financing capacity, approving 141 projects worth $44 billion as of June 2026.

But a resilient supply chain is only part of the solution.

The greater challenge for the Global South is to build a resilient development chain — one that integrates political cooperation with industrial upgrading, technological innovation, education and human development.

That begins with amplifying the voice of developing countries in global governance. The expanded BRICS mechanism has promoted consultations among its permanent representatives to the United Nations and established dialogue platforms on security and regional affairs.

BRICS should continue to coordinate on issues of mutual concern to the Global South and leverage the "members plus partners" mechanism to cooperate within institutions such as the World Trade Organization and the International Monetary Fund.

The objective is not to replace the existing multilateral system but to make it more representative and responsive to the interests of developing countries.

Industrial cooperation is equally important. Many Global South economies have long been exporters of resources and low-value-added goods while higher-value production stages occur elsewhere. BRICS cooperation can change that equation by connecting resource development, processing, manufacturing and markets. Industrial parks and special economic zones can provide platforms for related industries to develop closer to resource bases, allowing more value to be created locally.

Technology offers another route to greater self-reliance. Through the BRICS New Industrial Revolution Partnership and platforms such as innovation centers and industrial capability centers, members are expanding cooperation in areas such as the digital economy, smart manufacturing and green development.

Artificial intelligence is a critical test. The China-BRICS Artificial Intelligence Development and Cooperation Center has been established to support policy exchanges, technical training and project cooperation, with the broader goal of helping developing countries strengthen their ability to use AI and narrow the technology gap.

None of this can be sustained without people. BRICS mechanisms for exchanges in governance, education and culture have created channels for countries to learn from one another rather than simply import external models.

Cooperation in digital education has expanded the BRICS Network University to 11 fields, supporting the sharing of courses and research, student and faculty exchanges, and joint training.

Ultimately, this is what distinguishes resilience from development. A supply chain can survive disruptions and still leave an economy trapped at the bottom of the value chain.

Development-chain resilience asks a more ambitious question: Can countries build the capabilities, institutions, industries and human capital needed to shape their own economic destinies?

That is the broader promise of BRICS cooperation. In an increasingly fragmented world, resilience should not merely mean finding new suppliers when old ones fail. It should mean creating more avenues for countries in the Global South to trade, innovate, finance growth and capture greater value domestically.

The evolution from supply-chain resilience to development-chain resilience therefore represents more than a change in terminology.

It points to a broader role for BRICS: fostering a more stable, inclusive and sustainable development environment for the Global South and amplifying its voice in shaping the future global economy.

Lan Qingxin is the director of the BRICS Research Center at the University of International Business and Economics; and Pan Juncheng is a PhD student at the School of International Trade and Economics, University of International Business and Economics.

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