Archive · 12 Sep 2026
Xi Modi Meeting Signals Cautious Thaw Ahead of BRICS Summit
Chinese President Xi Jinping is planning to visit India for a BRICS meeting.
He is also expected to meet India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
This would be Xi’s first trip to India since 2019.
The two leaders have met in each of the past two years.
India and China have had serious disagreements over their border.
They are now trying to improve communication and manage those disagreements peacefully.
Officials recently held talks about the border and other parts of their relationship.
At the BRICS summit, countries will discuss cooperation and major problems affecting the world.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to visit New Delhi on Saturday for the 18th BRICS Summit and meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Beijing says India and China should strengthen communication, expand cooperation and properly manage their differences from a strategic, long-term perspective.
The meeting would be the leaders’ third consecutive annual face-to-face meeting and Xi’s first visit to India since 2019.
The planned engagement follows efforts to stabilize relations after the 2020 Eastern Ladakh standoff, including an October 2024 patrolling agreement and recent boundary talks.
India will host the September 12–13 summit, where BRICS leaders are expected to discuss global issues, practical cooperation and the grouping’s future development.
- Who
- Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alongside leaders of other BRICS countries.
- What
- Xi is scheduled to visit India for the BRICS Summit and hold bilateral talks with Modi about India-China relations and wider cooperation.
- When
- Xi is scheduled to arrive on Saturday; the BRICS Summit is scheduled for September 12 and 13. The meeting would be the leaders’ third consecutive annual face-to-face meeting.
- Where
- New Delhi, India, with the summit to be held at Bharat Mandapam.
- Why
- The visit is intended to support efforts to stabilize India-China relations, manage differences and advance cooperation through BRICS.
- Xi’s India visit
- His first visit to India since 2019, according to the articles.
- Expected bilateral meeting
- Xi and Modi are expected to meet on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit.
- China’s stated position
- Beijing says the countries should strengthen communication, enhance cooperation and properly manage differences.
- Recent border diplomacy
- India and China agreed on patrolling arrangements in October 2024 and held the 25th round of Special Representatives’ talks in Beijing on August 25.
- Boundary talks outcome
- The two sides reached an eight-point consensus and agreed to advance discussions on boundary delimitation and border management.
- BRICS Summit
- India will host the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi on September 12 and 13.
- BRICS expansion
- The grouping added Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in 2024, followed by Indonesia in 2025.
