'Might makes right' does not hold: China's Xi Jinping calls for Global South to jointly defend rule of law

Chinese President Xi Jinping called on Global South countries to jointly defend the rule of law in international affairs and reject the principle that “might makes right”, as he urged BRICS nations to push for a more equitable global order.

Addressing the second session of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on Sunday, Xi said international rules should be written by all countries and applied to all without double standards.

“A world without rules is like a crossroads without traffic lights, where chaos and disorder are all but guaranteed,” Xi said. He added that the logic of “might makes right” should have been discarded long ago.


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The Chinese president called on Global South countries to safeguard basic norms of international relations, including sovereign equality, non-interference in internal affairs and the peaceful settlement of disputes.

His remarks come a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for reforms to global governance, saying the Global South was “in the front row of global crises, but in the back row of decision-making”. PM Modi urged BRICS countries to work towards transforming the existing “pyramid of privilege” into a “platform of partnership”, where every country has a voice and a stake.

He had also said the Global South needs to evolve from being “rule-takers into rule-shapers”, while calling for reforms to the UN Security Council and international financial institutions.

The New Delhi Declaration, adopted by BRICS leaders by consensus on Saturday, similarly called for developing countries to strengthen efforts towards “more just and equitable global governance” and mutually beneficial relations among nations.

The declaration said BRICS would continue to voice the concerns and priorities of the Global South and promote a “more just, sustainable, inclusive, representative and stable international order based on international law”.

Xi Jinping also called for greater participation of all countries in international affairs and urged BRICS nations to uphold the authority and role of the United Nations.

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“All countries, regardless of their size, strength or wealth, are equal members of the international community,” he said.

He also backed reform of multilateral institutions, including the World Trade Organization, and called for changes to the international financial architecture to increase the representation and voice of developing countries.

The New Delhi Declaration also raised concerns over unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures that it said were inconsistent with WTO rules, warning that such measures could disrupt global trade and supply chains.

Xi said BRICS countries should uphold principles including most-favoured-nation treatment and work towards reforming the WTO in the right direction.