China has confirmed President Xi Jinping will attend the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, scheduled for September 12 to 13.
The visit will be Xi’s first to India in seven years, following the 2019 informal summit with Prime Minister Modi in Mamallapuram.
Modi and Xi are expected to hold bilateral talks on September 12, the opening day of the summit, marking their first meeting in six years.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto are also expected to attend.
Delhi is preparing for major closures on September 11, with schools, colleges, courts and offices set to remain shut in parts of the city.
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.
This year’s summit is the 18th edition of the BRICS gathering, with India hosting the group’s leaders in New Delhi.
Security preparations for the summit have included anti-terror drills conducted by the National Security Guard in the lead-up to the event.
2026 BRICS meeting of ministers, New Delhi, PIB/Wikimedia Commons, GODL-India
