Bhutan’s absence from the BRICS 2026 summit is noticeable, especially because Bhutan has exceptionally close relations with India. But Bhutan does not need to panic or interpret this as a deterioration in India Bhutan relations.
Bhutan is not currently a BRICS member or BRICS partner country. India’s official BRICS information lists the 11 members and the partner country group Bhutan is not among the partners.
Why wasn’t Bhutan included?
There is no public official statement saying, “India excluded Bhutan because of X.” Therefore, it would be wrong to claim that India deliberately snubbed Bhutan.
There are several more likely explanations:
BRICS is not an India-only invitation list.
Although India holds the 2026 chair, BRICS participation is a multilateral process. The partner country list was established through the BRICS process and Bhutan simply isn’t currently on that list. The 2025 partner countries included Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.
Bhutan has a very different strategic position. Bhutan is a small Himalayan kingdom with a particularly close strategic relationship with India and no diplomatic relations with China. That makes Bhutan’s participation in a grouping containing both India and China more politically delicate.
BRICS is increasingly focused on large emerging economies and Global South strategic coordination.
The current 11-member grouping includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Its partner countries also tend to be countries with larger populations, economies, regional influence or strategic relevance.
Bhutan already has a very deep India relationship outside BRICS.
India’s own government describes India Bhutan relations as “uniquely warm and special.” India remains Bhutan’s major development and economic partner and India has committed INR 10,000 crore to Bhutan’s 13th Five-Year Plan. The two governments were still conducting high-level development talks in July 2026.
Should Bhutan worry?
Not because of this summit alone.
In fact, I would say Bhutan should watch carefully, but not worry emotionally.
The more important issue is that BRICS is becoming a much larger geopolitical and economic platform. At the 2026 summit, leaders discussed trade, cross-border payments, AI, energy, supply chains, climate and a more multipolar global system.
For a small country like Bhutan, being outside BRICS is not necessarily a disadvantage. Bhutan can maintain its own foreign-policy flexibility while engaging with BRICS countries individually.
What should Bhutan prepare for?
Five strategic priorities:
༡༽Don’t chase BRICS membership simply for prestige.
Bhutan should first determine whether BRICS membership/partnership actually delivers economic or diplomatic value.
༢༽Strengthen India–Bhutan economic integration.
Energy, digital connectivity, tourism, agriculture, education, infrastructure and cross-border trade should remain major priorities. India’s current 13th-FYP support demonstrates how important this relationship remains.
༣༽Diversify Bhutan’s international economic relationships.
Bhutan should deepen constructive relationships with India, Bangladesh, Nepal, ASEAN, Europe, Japan, the United States and other partners, rather than becoming economically dependent on a single external market.
༤༽Prepare for the China–India strategic competition.
This is perhaps the most important issue. Bhutan has sensitive Himalayan geography and an unresolved boundary relationship with China. It should continue pursuing its national interests carefully while maintaining its strong relationship with India.
༥༽Build a stronger Bhutanese economic identity.
Bhutan should not be seen internationally only as a hydropower supplier or tourism destination. It can develop:
- renewable energy
- digital services
- high-value tourism
- organic/agricultural products
- education
- creative industries
- fintech/digital payments
- carbon and environmental services
- niche manufacturing
One important positive point
India’s current behaviour toward Bhutan actually suggests continued engagement rather than distancing.
Just weeks before the BRICS summit, India’s Foreign Secretary visited Bhutan for the fifth India–Bhutan Development Cooperation Talks. The two countries discussed energy, trade, investment, connectivity, people-to-people relations and regional issues, while reviewing India’s Nu.100 billion commitment to Bhutan’s 13th FYP.
So I would not read the BRICS as “India is leaving Bhutan behind.”
Instead, I would frame it this way:
Bhutan should not measure the strength of its relationship with India by whether Bhutan appears in a BRICS summit photograph. The real test is whether Bhutan can convert its special relationship with India into stronger connectivity, energy security, trade, investment, technology, education and diplomatic space while simultaneously diversifying its global partnerships.
And there is one particularly interesting opportunity for Bhutan: BRICS itself now has 10 partner countries. Bhutan could study the partner-country mechanism and, if it serves Bhutan’s national interests, explore whether a future BRICS partner-country relationship would be worthwhile rather than immediately seeking full membership.
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