Xi Jinping heads to India for BRICS Summit, first visit in nearly seven years
Chinese President Xi Jinping left for New Delhi on Saturday morning to attend the 18th BRICS Summit.
He is scheduled to hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the summit.
Xi left Beijing to attend the BRICS Summit at the invitation of Prime Minister Modi, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
His entourage includes close associate Cai Qi, who is a member of the high-powered Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, and Wang Yi, Foreign Minister and member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, the news report said.
This is President Xi's first visit to India in nearly seven years.
Asked how China viewed the Modi-Xi meeting, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a media briefing here that this will be the third year in a row the two leaders meet, after their meetings in Kazan and Tianjin.
"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," she said.
About the BRICS Summit, Mao said it is a key platform for solidarity and cooperation among emerging markets and developing countries.
Xi will attend and address the summit, have in-depth exchanges with other leaders on major issues, including the current international situation, the development of BRICS mechanisms and deepening practical cooperation, she said.
He will also put forward China's important initiatives and propositions, charting the course for the high-quality development of greater BRICS cooperation, she said.
Mao 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.
About the significance of the New Delhi summit, which is taking place amid the Iran-US conflict and the Ukraine-Russia war, Mao said China advocates a common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable approach to security.
"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," she said.
Xi's visit is expected to be a high-profile diplomatic engagement with implications for the ongoing efforts to stabilise bilateral ties between the two Asian powers as well as for BRICS cooperation amid a volatile global situation.
As the current chair of the influential grouping, India will host the 18th BRICS Summit on September 12 and 13 in New Delhi.
Xi last visited India in 2019 for an informal summit with Modi in Mamallapuram near Chennai.
He had earlier visited Goa in 2016 to attend the BRICS Summit and made his first visit to India in September 2014, when he held extensive talks with Modi. The 2014 visit came during the first terms of both leaders.
Xi's visit is significant, as it comes amid efforts by India and China to normalise relations after a prolonged freeze following the 2020 Eastern Ladakh standoff.
Ahead of Xi's visit, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister 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 held in Beijing on August 25, the two sides reached an eight-point consensus. They agreed to advance discussions on an early and substantial harvest of boundary delimitation and border management.
Against the backdrop of these substantive discussions on the boundary and wider bilateral issues, a Modi-Xi meeting on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit is expected to be closely watched for indications of the future course of India-China relations.
BRICS, originally comprising 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 BRICS founding member and has previously held its chairship three times, in 2012, 2016 and 2021.
India assumed its fourth BRICS chairmanship on January 1 this year. The year 2026 also marks a milestone as BRICS completes 20 years since its establishment.
After this summit, China will take over the BRICS rotating chair.
