China on Thursday confirmed that President Xi Jinping will visit India on September 12 and 13 to attend the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi.
Chinese Ambassador to India Xu Feihong announced Xi’s visit in a post on X, saying the Chinese president would travel to India at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s invitation.
Xi’s visit will be his first trip to India in seven years and comes against the backdrop of efforts by New Delhi and Beijing to stabilise bilateral ties following years of tensions.
The announcement came as Modi stepped up preparations for the BRICS Summit. In a post on X, the Prime Minister said, “All set for BRICS 2026!” and tagged the official BRICS India 2026 account.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is also scheduled to visit India from September 11 to 13 for the BRICS Summit. According to a schedule reported by Sputnik India, citing Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov, Putin’s programme includes a bilateral meeting with Modi, meetings with other leaders attending the summit and a visit with Modi to the INNOPROM industrial exhibition in New Delhi.
Putin is also scheduled to address the BRICS Business Forum plenary on September 11 on trade and economic cooperation and participate in the BRICS+ session on September 13.
Meanwhile, Modi said he held a “warm and productive conversation” with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the India-Germany Strategic Partnership in areas including trade and investment, defence, clean energy, advanced technologies and talent mobility.
Modi said India and Germany are marking 75 years of diplomatic relations and described Germany as an important pillar of India’s engagement with Europe.
The developments come ahead of the 18th BRICS Summit, which India will host in New Delhi on September 12 and 13. The summit is expected to bring together leaders of the expanded BRICS grouping for discussions on global and regional issues and cooperation in areas including trade, investment, technology and energy.
With Xi and Putin set to attend, the summit is expected to provide India with an important platform for high-level bilateral and multilateral diplomacy.
