India Opens 18th BRICS Summit as Chinese President Xi Jinping Returns for First India Visit in Seven Years

India is hosting the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi on September 12–13, 2026, bringing the leaders of the expanded grouping together at a time when BRICS is seeking a larger role in shaping global economic cooperation, development and international governance. The summit is also acquiring particular diplomatic significance with Chinese President Xi Jinping travelling to New Delhi, marking his first visit to India since the India–China informal summit at Mamallapuram in October 2019.

Xi’s participation was formally announced by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on September 10, which said that he would attend the summit at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On the morning of September 12, the Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed that Xi had left Beijing aboard a special aircraft for New Delhi. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Cai Qi, a senior member of the Communist Party of China leadership, are among the officials accompanying him.

For India, the summit represents the culmination of its fourth BRICS chairship. New Delhi has chosen “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability” as the guiding theme of its 2026 presidency, placing development, technological innovation, institutional cooperation and sustainability at the centre of the grouping’s work. The Indian government has described BRICS as an increasingly important platform through which emerging economies can coordinate positions on global governance while advancing the priorities of the Global South.

The scale of BRICS has changed considerably since India last hosted a leaders’ summit. The grouping now consists of 11 members — Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates. According to the Government of India, these countries together account for about 49.5 per cent of the world’s population, 40 per cent of global GDP and 26 per cent of global trade, giving discussions within BRICS increasing economic and geopolitical weight.

Prime Minister Modi had signalled ahead of the summit that India wanted the gathering to produce constructive dialogue rather than merely political declarations. On September 11, he expressed confidence that the meeting would see positive and meaningful discussions on international issues and emphasised dialogue, goodwill and cooperation as important foundations for international relations.

Xi’s Return Adds an India–China Dimension

Xi Jinping’s presence gives the multilateral summit an important bilateral dimension. His previous visit to India was for the second India–China Informal Summit at Mamallapuram on October 11–12, 2019, when Modi and Xi discussed long-term strategic issues, trade, economic cooperation and management of differences between the two countries. The official statement issued after that meeting said both leaders had agreed on the importance of maintaining strategic communication and managing differences without allowing them to become disputes.

The international and bilateral environment surrounding Xi’s 2026 visit is very different. Relations were subsequently affected by the prolonged military confrontation along the Line of Actual Control, making the restoration of sustained political engagement between the two Asian powers particularly significant. The BRICS summit now provides another high-level setting in which the two governments can continue the process of stabilising relations while simultaneously working together within a major multilateral grouping.

China has indicated that Xi will use the summit to discuss the international situation, the future development of BRICS and greater practical cooperation among its members. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said on September 11 that Beijing sees BRICS as an important platform for emerging economies and developing countries and that Xi intends to present Chinese proposals for strengthening what Beijing calls “greater BRICS cooperation.”

India, meanwhile, has placed considerable emphasis on making its presidency development-oriented and practical. Alongside the leaders’ summit, New Delhi is hosting the Bharat Innovates Exposition on September 11–12, where 37 Indian deep-tech innovators are showcasing technologies to BRICS leaders, investors and international delegations. The initiative reflects India’s effort to connect the diplomatic agenda of BRICS with technology, startups, investment and commercial cooperation.

The summit therefore carries significance at several levels. It demonstrates the transformation of BRICS from a five-member grouping into a much broader coalition of major emerging economies, provides India with an opportunity to push development and institutional reform issues associated with the Global South, and creates a rare high-level setting for engagement among leaders whose countries do not always share the same strategic interests.

Xi Jinping’s return to India after seven years makes the New Delhi gathering particularly important for India–China relations. While the BRICS agenda extends far beyond the bilateral relationship, interaction between Modi and Xi will be closely watched for indications of whether the recent effort to stabilise ties can develop into broader political and economic engagement.

The substantive outcomes, however, will depend on the leaders’ meetings and the final decisions emerging from the two-day summit. Until an official readout of any Modi–Xi bilateral meeting is issued, issues such as the boundary situation, trade, market access and future economic mechanisms should be treated as possible agenda items rather than confirmed agreements.