Bangladesh, Sept. 15 -- The world is entering an era defined less by certainty than by disruption. Geopolitical rivalries are deepening, economic fragmentation is accelerating, technological competition is reshaping national power, and faith in the existing global order is steadily eroding. Against that backdrop, Chinese President Xi Jinping's call for BRICS countries to become "four pioneers" is more than diplomatic rhetoric. It is an attempt to give direction to a grouping that increasingly sees itself as a platform for reshaping the international system.

At the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, BRICS leaders adopted the New Delhi Declaration as the grouping marked two decades of cooperation. In his address, Xi looked back on 20 years o...