Xi arrives in New Delhi for BRICS Summit, first India visit in seven years

Xi Jinping has arrived in New Delhi for the BRICS Summit and talks with Narendra Modi. The visit is being watched as India and China try to steady ties while shaping a wider BRICS agenda.

In Short

• Leaders will discuss global uncertainty, BRICS mechanisms and practical cooperation
• The bilateral meeting follows two consecutive annual interactions in Kazan and Tianjin
• Beijing said both sides should enhance communication, cooperation and manage differences

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in New Delhi on Saturday morning to attend the 18th BRICS Summit, in what is his first visit to India in nearly seven years. He is also scheduled to hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the summit, in a meeting that will be closely watched amid efforts to stabilise ties between the two countries.

India, the current chair of the grouping, is hosting the summit on September 12 and 13 in New Delhi. The meeting comes at a time of wider global uncertainty and will bring together BRICS leaders for discussions on the international situation, the development of BRICS mechanisms and practical cooperation within the expanded bloc.

Xi left Beijing on Saturday morning for the summit at Modi's invitation, according to state-run Xinhua news agency. His entourage includes Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China and director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

Asked how China viewed the Modi-Xi meeting, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said this would be the third year in a row that the two leaders meet, after their meetings in Kazan and Tianjin. She said, "China will work with India to act on the strategic guidance of the two leaders, handle bilateral relations from a strategic height and long-term perspective, step up communication, enhance cooperation, properly handle differences, and be friends enjoying good-neighbourliness and partners helping each other succeed."

On the summit, Mao said BRICS is a key platform for solidarity and cooperation among emerging markets and developing countries. She said Xi would attend and address the summit, hold in-depth exchanges with other leaders on major issues, including the current international situation, the development of BRICS mechanisms and deeper practical cooperation, and put forward China's initiatives and propositions for the high-quality development of greater BRICS cooperation. Mao also said China is ready to work with fellow BRICS countries for steady and sustained progress in greater cooperation to build a community with a shared future for humanity.

Asked about the significance of the New Delhi summit against the backdrop of the Iran-US conflict and the Ukraine-Russia war, Mao said China advocates a common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable approach to security. She said, "We are committed to promoting the political settlement of hotspot issues through dialogue. We look forward to working with fellow BRICS countries to promote dialogue and negotiation to resolve differences and jointly safeguard regional and global peace and stability."

Xi last visited India in 2019 for an informal summit with Modi in Mamallapuram near Chennai. Before that, he visited Goa in 2016 for the BRICS Summit and made his first visit to India in September 2014, when he held extensive talks with Modi during the first terms of both leaders.

This visit comes amid efforts by India and China to normalise relations after the prolonged freeze that followed the 2020 Eastern Ladakh standoff. Ahead of the visit, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Wang Yi held extensive talks in Beijing last month on the boundary issue, maintaining peace and tranquillity along the border and steps to improve bilateral relations. During the 25th round of Special Representatives' talks in Beijing on August 25, the two sides reached an eight-point consensus and agreed to advance discussions on an early and substantial harvest of boundary delimitation and border management.

BRICS, originally made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, expanded in 2024 to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, with Indonesia joining in 2025. Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam became BRICS partner countries last year. India is a founding member of BRICS and has previously held the chairship in 2012, 2016 and 2021. It assumed the chair again on January 1 this year, while 2026 will mark 20 years since the grouping was established. After the New Delhi summit, China will take over the rotating BRICS chair.

Xi's visit to New Delhi for the BRICS Summit, his planned talks with Modi and the wider discussions within the expanded grouping together make the summit an important diplomatic engagement for both India-China ties and BRICS cooperation.

With PTI Inputs

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