Xi Jinping to Visit India for BRICS Summit, Ending Seven-Year Gap

Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit India on September 12–13 to attend the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, China’s Foreign Ministry confirmed on Thursday, ending days of uncertainty over his participation.

According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Xi will visit India at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and attend the BRICS leaders’ summit in the national capital.

The announcement came after Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun earlier declined to confirm whether Xi would travel to India for the summit, saying he had no information to provide on the matter.

Xi’s visit will be his first to India in seven years and comes against the backdrop of efforts to stabilise bilateral ties following the 2020 Galwan Valley clash, which resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers and Chinese casualties.

The Chinese president last visited India in 2019 for an informal summit with Prime Minister Modi in Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu. He had earlier travelled to India in 2014 and visited Goa in 2016 to attend the BRICS Summit.

Xi and Modi had a brief meeting earlier this month on the sidelines of a regional forum in Kyrgyzstan. Ahead of Xi’s India visit, China’s Foreign Ministry said the two countries view themselves as “partners, not competitors” and see opportunities rather than threats in each other’s development.

The upcoming BRICS Summit is therefore expected to draw significant attention, particularly amid ongoing efforts by New Delhi and Beijing to improve bilateral relations.