At a BRICS summit in September 2026, two of Asia's great powers paused their long rivalry long enough to share a stage — Xi Jinping and Narendra Modi exchanging courtesies and proposals where once there were standoffs and skirmishes. China offered a vision of shared technological futures under a 'Greater BRICS' banner, while India accepted the gesture without surrendering its strategic wariness. History reminds us that nations, like people, can smile across a table while keeping their hands close to what they will not give up.