China has confirmed Xi Jinping’s visit to New Delhi for the 18th BRICS Summit, set to take place from September 12 to 13.
This will mark Xi’s first visit to India in seven years, since the 2019 informal summit with Prime Minister Modi in Mamallapuram.
A Modi-Xi bilateral meeting is expected on September 12, their first such talks in six years, according to diplomatic sources.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto are also set to attend.
Delhi is bracing for closures on September 11, with schools, colleges, courts and offices shutting in parts of the city ahead of the summit.
Security preparations for the summit have included anti-terror drills conducted by the National Security Guard in the lead-up to the event.
China’s confirmation of Xi’s attendance ends weeks of diplomatic speculation over whether the Chinese president would travel to India for the summit.
Xi Jinping last visited India in 2019 for an informal summit with Prime Minister Modi in Mamallapuram near Chennai, before India-China relations were strained by the 2020 border crisis.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto are among the other leaders expected to attend the summit.
Diplomatic sources indicate Modi and Xi are expected to hold bilateral talks on September 12, the opening day of the leaders’ summit.
This will be the first Modi-Xi bilateral meeting in six years, coming after a prolonged period of tension following the 2020 Galwan Valley border clash.
Delhi is set to see major closures on September 11 ahead of the summit, with schools, colleges, courts and offices remaining shut in parts of the city.
The BRICS grouping, comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, has expanded in recent years to include additional member nations.
2026 BRICS meeting of ministers, New Delhi, PIB/Wikimedia Commons, GODL-India
