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Xi Jinping’s India Visit Tests China-India Thaw at BRICS
Xi Jinping, China’s president, is going to India for a BRICS meeting on September 12 and 13, 2026.
He was invited by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
This will be Xi’s first visit to India in seven years.
Xi and Modi last met in person in 2019 in Mamallapuram, where they discussed friendship, trade, and investment.
They did not sign a major agreement at that meeting.
In 2020, soldiers from India and China fought in the Galwan Valley, making relations much worse.
The two countries have since taken some steps to improve their relationship.
The new meeting will show whether they can cooperate while still disagreeing about their border and trade.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will also attend the summit.
Xi Jinping will visit New Delhi on September 12-13, 2026, to attend the 18th BRICS Summit at Narendra Modi’s invitation.
The summit will also bring together Vladimir Putin and Masoud Pezeshkian for discussions on trade, the global economy, and wars in Ukraine and West Asia.
Xi’s last India visit was a 2019 informal summit with Modi in Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu, focused on rapport, trade, investment, and counterterrorism.
Relations deteriorated after the June 2020 Galwan Valley clash, which killed 20 Indian soldiers and an unspecified number of Chinese troops.
The 2026 meeting will test whether the two countries can sustain improving ties despite their unresolved border dispute and widening trade deficit.
- Who
- Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
- What
- Xi Jinping will visit India to attend the 18th BRICS Summit and meet with other leaders, including Narendra Modi.
- Where
- New Delhi, India.
- When
- September 12-13, 2026; the announcement was made on September 10, 2026.
- Why
- Xi is attending the BRICS Summit at Modi’s invitation, while the meeting is expected to test whether India-China relations can continue improving.
Key facts
- Event
- 18th BRICS Summit
- Dates
- September 12-13, 2026
- Location
- New Delhi, India
- Xi’s last India visit
- October 2019, for a two-day meeting in Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu
- 2020 border clash
- The Galwan Valley clash killed 20 Indian soldiers and an unspecified number of Chinese troops.
- Trade figure
- India-China bilateral goods trade was estimated at more than $150 billion in FY2025/26.
- Trade deficit
- The deficit discussed in 2019 was about $11 billion and is described as roughly $112 billion now.
Quotes
Chinese Foreign Ministry
China’s foreign ministry, announcing Xi Jinping’s attendance at the BRICS summit.
“At the invitation of (the) Prime Minister of the Republic of India, Narendra Modi, President Xi Jinping will attend the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi from September 12 to 13,”
indianexpress.com
“The two leaders spoke about trade and investment… was concluded there will be a new mechanism in place for trade and investment between the two nations”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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