Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the BRICS Summit in New Delhi, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. His visit will be closely watched as India and China work to improve bilateral ties after years of tensions. The summit will also provide an opportunity for PM Modi and Xi to discuss cooperation in trade, climate action and technology.
Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the BRICS Summit in India, state-run Xinhua news agency reported, setting the stage for his first visit to the country in seven years. India is hosting the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12 and 13 as the grouping seeks to strengthen cooperation among its members and address major global and regional issues.
Xi Jinping’s India visit
Xi’s participation is significant for India-China relations, which have been gradually improving after years of tensions. His visit would be his first to India since 2019 and comes after a period of cautious diplomatic engagement between New Delhi and Beijing.
The BRICS Summit is expected to provide an opportunity for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping to meet on the sidelines of the gathering. Their possible bilateral talks are likely to draw attention to the state of India-China relations, including efforts to maintain peace along the border and expand economic engagement.
India-China ties in focus
Ahead of the summit, India’s Ambassador to China, Vikram Doraiswami, highlighted the scope for greater cooperation between the two countries.
In an opinion piece published in China’s Global Times, Doraiswami said the BRICS meeting could be used to deepen India-China cooperation in areas including trade, connectivity, climate action, public health and the digital economy.
He also stressed that a stable and predictable relationship between India and China would be important not only for their combined population of around 2.8 billion people but also for wider global stability.
Doraiswami referred to Xi’s earlier remarks to PM Modi that India and China are ‘cooperation partners, not rivals’ and that the two countries should view each other as development opportunities rather than threats.
The ambassador also said peace and tranquillity in the border areas are an essential foundation for the relationship. He called for the two countries to approach their differences through mutual respect, sensitivity and interest.
BRICS Summit in New Delhi
India assumed the BRICS chairship for 2026 on January 1 and will host the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12-13. The theme of India’s chairship is “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”, with a focus on strengthening cooperation within the expanded grouping.
The summit comes at a time of major geopolitical uncertainty, with the BRICS grouping seeking to maintain unity despite differences among its members. The expanded bloc includes countries such as Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the UAE and Indonesia, alongside the original members.
Xi’s presence is therefore expected to add another important dimension to the summit, particularly as India and China look to manage their differences while exploring areas of cooperation.
What Xi’s visit could mean for India-China ties
The Chinese president’s visit could provide an important opportunity for the two sides to continue their diplomatic reset. Recent engagement has included efforts to ease tensions and restore some economic and people-to-people links, although significant differences remain.
With Xi now set to attend the BRICS Summit in New Delhi, attention will be closely focused on his engagements with Modi and whether the visit gives further momentum to the cautious improvement in India-China ties.
(With inputs from agencies)