NEW DELHI: India and China are actively working to arrange a bilateral meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the latter is scheduled to arrive in New Delhi to attend the 18th BRICS Summit.
In a post on X, Chinese Ambassador to India, Xu Feihong, signalled the continued momentum in top-level diplomatic engagements between the two Asian giants.
If finalised, this encounter will mark the third consecutive year the two leaders meet face-to-face, following their previous bilateral discussions on the sidelines of major multilateral summits in Kazan, Russia, and Tianjin, China.
Emphasising Beijing’s commitment to building a constructive relationship with New Delhi, Ambassador Xu stated that China intends to follow the framework established by both heads of state.
“China will work with India to act on the strategic guidance of the two leaders, handle the bilateral relations from a strategic height and long-term perspective, step up communication, enhance cooperation, properly handle differences, and be friends enjoying good-neighborliness and partners helping each other succeed,” the envoy wrote.
Chinese President’s attendance at the BRICS Summit in the national capital from September 12 to 13 was confirmed by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday, setting the stage for a closely watched India-China engagement on the sidelines of the major multilateral gathering.
According to a statement issued by the Chinese Foreign Ministry, President Xi will travel to India at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the summit.
“At the invitation of 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,” the statement read.
The confirmation comes after weeks of anticipation over Beijing’s representation at the summit and amid signs of renewed diplomatic engagement between New Delhi and Beijing.
India is hosting the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit on September 12 and 13 at Bharat Mandapam, with the expanded grouping expected to deliberate on issues ranging from trade and financial cooperation to technology, artificial intelligence, energy security, climate action and reforms of global institutions.
Xi’s visit is particularly significant, as it would mark his first trip to India since his informal meeting with Prime Minister Modi in Mamallapuram in 2019 for the 2nd India-China Informal Summit.
The visit also comes against the backdrop of efforts by the two sides to stabilise bilateral ties following years of tensions along the Line of Actual Control.
Any interaction between PM Modi and President Xi during the BRICS gathering is therefore expected to attract considerable diplomatic attention.
Ahead of the Chinese confirmation, India’s Ambassador to China Vikram Doraiswami had made a strong case for using India’s BRICS presidency to deepen cooperation between the two Asian powers.
In an opinion piece published in Chinese daily Global Times, Doraiswami referred to remarks made by President Xi to PM Modi last year, underlining Beijing and New Delhi’s potential to pursue cooperation despite their differences.
“Last year, President Xi Jinping told Prime Minister Modi that China and India are cooperation partners, not rivals, and that the two countries are each other’s development opportunities rather than threats. This perspective is in keeping with the long history of mutually beneficial contact between our two civilisations,” he wrote.
The ambassador stressed that peace along the India-China border remains central to the broader relationship.
On September 1, PM Modi and President Xi shared a handshake ahead of the family photograph at the SCO Summit in Bishkek, with Russian President Vladimir Putin also joining the interaction.
The moment came after PM Modi had invited President Xi to attend the BRICS Summit. President Xi had thanked PM Modi for the invitation and offered China’s support to India’s BRICS presidency.
With Xi now confirmed for the New Delhi summit, the possibility of substantive India-China engagement on the margins of BRICS has emerged as one of the key diplomatic developments surrounding the meeting.
India’s 2026 BRICS presidency is being conducted under the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”, with New Delhi seeking to place Global South priorities at the centre of the grouping’s agenda.
