Chinese President Xi Jinping's proposals to jointly develop artificial intelligence (AI) within the BRICS framework are vital for helping developing countries close the global technology gap, said a Russian expert.
In his address on the second day of the 18th BRICS Summit on Sunday in New Delhi, India, Xi outlined concrete proposals to further strengthen BRICS cooperation, with a focus on emerging areas including AI, trade, digital industries and manufacturing.
On the open source and inclusive AI initiative, Xi said that China will be a pioneer in establishing a BRICS AI open source community, support the cooperation in developing and applying large language models, hold specialized AI seminars and training courses, and build an open ecosystem for AI.
Marat Zembatov, director of the Center of Interdisciplinary Research at the Institute for Public Administration and Municipal Management at HSE University, said Xi's proposal to strengthen AI cooperation is well reflected in the New Delhi Declaration and could help address the technological imbalances faced by developing economies.
"BRICS countries can and should continue to develop along an innovative track, and particular attention should be paid to the possibility of jointly developing artificial intelligence technology. This position is also reflected in the New Delhi Declaration of the 18th BRICS Summit, which emphasizes the development of artificial intelligence technology," he said.
"The current situation is that developing economies provide global markets with huge sales markets and large amounts of raw data, yet often fail to obtain corresponding technological innovation capabilities in return. It is precisely to eliminate this imbalance and overcome this technological gap that China has put forward an initiative on jointly developing artificial intelligence technology. Expanding the scale of application of such technologies and carrying out technology promotion cooperation among BRICS countries can play a key role in overcoming the imbalance that developing economies face in the application of modern technologies," he added.
Looking ahead, Zembatov also expressed high expectations for China's upcoming BRICS chairmanship in 2027.
"Undoubtedly, the development achievements of BRICS over the past two decades give us ample reason to look forward to the future of this mechanism, especially as China will assume the BRICS chairmanship in 2027. We wish China complete success in its major plans during its chairmanship," said Zembatov.
Marking its 20th anniversary this year, the BRICS was initially formed by Brazil, Russia, India and China, later expanding with the addition of South Africa. Today, the BRICS has expanded to 11 member countries and 10 partner countries.
Xi's AI initiative within BRICS can help close global technology gap: Russian expert
The escalating tensions between Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Houthi group reflect a broader strategic contest over key maritime routes and regional security, with the Houthis group seeking to put additional pressure on Saudi Arabia while avoiding a wider confrontation, said a Chinese expert on the Middle East.
Zhang Chuchu, deputy director of the Middle East Studies Center at Fudan University in Shanghai, said in a recent interview the Houthis' efforts to restrict access around strategic maritime chokepoints are aimed in part at coordinating with Iran to create pressure on Saudi Arabia from two directions.
"At this time, one of the purposes of the Houthi armed group's efforts to control the straits is to join hands with Iran to put Saudi Arabia under dual pressure. We know that, amid the frequent disruptions in shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, part of Saudi Arabia's oil transportation would become more dependent on the western coast's Yanbu Port and routes through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. If Saudi Arabia's oil transportation is obstructed from both sides, it would face huge economic losses. The Mocha and Hanish Islands are key chokepoints along international shipping routes. By taking control of these strategic high points, the Houthi armed group not only seeks to reduce the opponent's strongholds, but also hopes to gain the ability to influence the security of the southern Red Sea at any time. However, during its operations, the Houthi armed group has repeatedly stressed that its actions are targeted only at Saudi Arabia and no other countries. This is because it also seeks to send a signal to avoid making more enemies and triggering another large-scale offensive by a multinational naval coalition," Zhang said.
The expert noted that the Houthis' calculations extend beyond immediate military objectives, as control over strategically located islands and waterways could provide them with greater leverage over maritime security in the southern Red Sea.
Meanwhile, tensions between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis have continued to intensify, while the United States has so far only agreed to provide intelligence and target-identification support but rejected direct military intervention, said Zhang.
She attributed the U.S. decision to three main factors, saying Washington is seeking to avoid opening another war front in the Middle East while its military focus remains on Iran.
"First, the current strategic focus of the U.S. military in the Middle East remains on Iran. It has already deployed a large number of air and naval forces there and is suffering significant attrition, so it wants to make every effort to avoid opening a new front in Yemen. Second, from March to May last year, the U.S. military launched large-scale airstrikes and naval attacks against the Houthi armed group in Yemen. It knows very well that the Houthi armed group possesses strong asymmetric combat capabilities. Therefore, the United States is also concerned that if it resumes attacks, it may once again fail to achieve its objectives, as happened last year. The last point is that the Trump administration wants to reduce its security commitments to its allies, arguing that Gulf allies should rely on their own military capabilities to address security threats in their neighborhood, and opposing the U.S. military serving as the region's free security backstop," Zhang said.
Houthi seeks to pile pressure on Saudi Arabic: expert
