Xi Jinping May Visit India for BRICS Summit on September 2026, With 400 Member Delegation..
Chinese President Xi Jinping may visit India next month on September 12 and 13, 2026 to attend the BRICS summit in New Delhi, accompanied by a large delegation of approximately 400 officials. Although Xi Jinping’s visit has not yet been officially confirmed, sources indicate that Chinese officials are busy finalizing arrangements regarding hotels and security. It is worth noting that this visit by the Chinese President is taking place after a gap of seven years. He last visited India in October 2019 for the second informal summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Mahabalipuram (Mamallapuram), near Chennai. Sources claim that this time, a massive delegation of around 400 Chinese officials could accompany Xi Jinping to India. This would be a significantly larger contingent compared to 2019, the number of officials accompanying Xi to India in 2019 was fewer than 200. Xi Jinping’s potential visit to India could prove crucial for efforts to improve relations between the two nations following the border clashes of 2020. Violent clashes between the troops of both countries occurred in the Galwan Valley of Eastern Ladakh during May and June of 2020. Twenty Indian soldiers and four Chinese soldiers lost their lives in the Galwan Valley clash. Subsequently, a standoff persisted between the armies of both nations for nearly four years. Relations between the two countries hit rock bottom, and heavy military deployments were made along the border. Notably, Xi Jinping did not visit India when the country hosted the G20 summit in New Delhi in 2023, instead, Chinese Premier Li Qiang attended the summit on his behalf. However, the first formal bilateral meeting between PM Modi and Xi Jinping took place during the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, in October 2024. Following this, both countries reached an agreement regarding patrolling along the LAC. According to sources, officials from India and China might use the BRICS summit to address long-standing differences concerning the border and regional security, as well as to explore avenues for enhancing mutual cooperation. However, the final plan for Xi’s visit and the agenda for a potential bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi have not yet been finalized. Therefore, it remains unclear which issues would be discussed in detail should the two leaders meet.