Full Breakdown
Xi Jinping’s First India Visit in Seven Years: A BRICS-Centred Test of the India-China Reset
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event
Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi on September 12-13, 2026. The trip marks Xi’s first visit to India since the October 2019 informal summit and follows high-level contacts aimed at easing the fallout from the 2020 Galwan Valley clash. Xi is expected to hold a bilateral meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the summit, while other leaders—including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian—also converge on Delhi.
Background & Context
The 2020 border clash halted most exchanges between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. Since then, confidence-building steps have been taken: direct flights resumed in October 2024, border trade restarted in October 2025, and boundary talks in Beijing in August 2024 produced consensus points. The most recent diplomatic engagement was the 25th round of India-China Special Representatives’ talks on the boundary question in Beijing on August 25, 2026, which reaffirmed commitments to keep the frontier quiet while work toward a settlement continues. Xi’s attendance arrives as both sides cautiously rebuild high-level contacts while core territorial disputes remain unresolved.
Data & Statistics
- BRICS now comprises 11 members—Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Indonesia—representing about 49.5 % of the world’s population and roughly 40 % of global GDP.
- Bilateral trade between India and China reached $151 billion in FY 2025-26, making China India’s largest trading partner.
- The New Development Bank (NDB) had $42.9 billion in approved financing for 139 projects by the end of 2025.
Official Statements & Responses
- China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed on September 10, 2026 that President Xi will attend the summit at the invitation of Prime Minister Modi.
- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called the upcoming meeting “one of the biggest highlights” of the summit and said multilateral platforms can create opportunities for bilateral engagement.
- Indian officials noted that the August 2024 boundary talks produced agreements on patrolling arrangements in Depsang and Demchok, and that the August 25, 2026 talks continued the “peace-building trajectory.”
Criticism & Opposition
- Harsh V Pant, senior fellow at India’s Observer Research Foundation, argues that the expansion of BRICS now looks like a constraint, limiting decisive outcomes.
- Shilan Shah, analyst at Capital Economics, warns that the war in Iran will test the group’s cohesion.
Why It Matters / Impact
Xi’s presence signals China’s willingness to engage India at the highest level despite lingering mistrust over the Line of Actual Control. The bilateral meeting offers a platform to translate recent confidence-building measures into concrete steps on trade, investment, and visa regimes, while also allowing both sides to manage strategic rivalry. Within BRICS, the summit tests the bloc’s ability to maintain cohesion amid competing interests—particularly the Iran-UAE split and the broader Russia-Ukraine and Middle-East conflicts. Successful coordination could reinforce the grouping’s role as a conduit for Global South cooperation.
What’s Next
- The summit will conclude with the adoption of a New Delhi Declaration on September 13, 2026.
- China is slated to assume the BRICS rotating presidency in 2027, positioning Beijing to shape the next phase of the grouping’s agenda.
- Ongoing India-China boundary talks are scheduled for 2027, following the procedural framework established in the 2005 political parameters agreement.
