RismadarVoice Reporters
September 12, 2026
Chinese President Xi Jinping departed Beijing on Saturday bound for New Delhi to attend the 18th BRICS summit, joining leaders from India, Russia, and Iran for a two-day gathering expected to be dominated by escalation in the Middle East, the war in Ukraine, and mounting global trade instability.
Xi’s arrival, his first trip to India in seven years, marks a significant diplomatic milestone following the 2020 lethal military standoff along the disputed Sino-Indian border. Accompanying Xi are Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and senior Chinese Communist Party official Cai Qi.
While bilateral ties have incrementally warmed through the resumption of commercial flights, visa processing, and high-level dialogue, heavy military deployments remain active along the 3,500-kilometre (2,175-mile) Himalayan frontier.
Xi is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday evening to address border issues and economic friction.
The high-stakes gathering underscores complex geopolitical dynamics among key member states:
Both nations are pursuing an “early harvest” framework on border disengagement, though structural hurdles including a widening trade deficit and long-term strategic rivalry continue to temper expectations.
Following separate bilateral discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in New Delhi, Modi emphasised safeguarding commercial shipping lanes and energy supply lines amid ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Originally founded in 2009 to elevate the economic clout of emerging markets, the expanded 11-nation BRICS bloc is increasingly seeking to navigate Western economic sanctions and supply chain disruptions.
Protests preceded the summit’s opening on Friday as Tibetan exile groups demonstrated in New Delhi against Xi’s visit, underscoring unresolved regional sensitivities even as leaders attempt to present a united diplomatic front.
