Modi-Xi meeting on the sideline of BRICS Summit 2026? China gives big hint ahead of summit

China’s envoy Xu Feihong has said Beijing will work with New Delhi to improve communication, increase cooperation and manage differences. The possible talks come as India hosts the expanded BRICS grouping in New Delhi on September 12 and 13.

New Delhi: Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to New Delhi for the 18th BRICS Summit could lead to a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. India and China are in talks to hold a meeting between the two leaders on the sidelines of the summit, which is being held in the national capital on September 12 and 13.

After Beijing officially confirmed Xi’s participation in the summit, Chinese Ambassador to India Xu Feihong hinted in a post on X that such a meeting could take place. If it happens, it would be the third consecutive year that Modi and Xi have met in person. Their previous meetings were held on the sidelines of major multilateral gatherings in Kazan, Russia, and Tianjin, China.

China seeks stronger India ties

Xu said Beijing wants to build a constructive relationship with New Delhi and follow the direction set by the two countries’ top leaders.

“China will work with India to act on the strategic guidance of the two leaders, handle the bilateral relations from a strategic height and long-term perspective, step up communication, enhance cooperation, properly handle differences and be friends enjoying good-neighborliness and partners helping each other succeed," the envoy wrote.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed Xi’s visit on Thursday (September 10). It said the president will travel to India at PM Modi’s invitation to attend the BRICS Summit.

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"At the invitation of Prime Minister of the Republic of India Narendra Modi, President Xi Jinping will attend the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi from September 12 to 13," the statement said.

Xi’s attendance had been awaited for several weeks as New Delhi prepared to host the BRICS leaders. The summit has brought together the expanded grouping to discuss trade, financial cooperation, technology, artificial intelligence, energy security, climate action and reforms of international institutions.

Xi’s first India visit since 2019

Xi’s trip to New Delhi is his first visit to India since his informal meeting with Modi in Mamallapuram in 2019 during the 2nd India-China Informal Summit.

The visit comes after several years of difficult relations between the two countries, especially over the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Both sides have since taken steps to stabilise their ties and keep diplomatic channels open.

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A Modi-Xi meeting at the BRICS Summit would give the two leaders an opportunity to discuss bilateral ties in person. Any such interaction is expected to interest officials and observers following India-China relations.

Modi-Xi interaction at SCO Summit

There was a brief interaction between the two leaders at the SCO Summit in Bishkek on September 1. They shook hands before the group photograph, with Russian President Vladimir Putin also joining them.

The interaction came after Modi invited him to attend the BRICS Summit in New Delhi. He thanked the prime minister for the invitation and said China would support India’s BRICS presidency.

India’s Ambassador to China Vikram Doraiswami had also called for greater cooperation between the two countries ahead of Xi’s visit. In an opinion piece published in Chinese daily Global Times, he referred to what Xi told Modi last year.

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"Last year, President Xi Jinping told Prime Minister Modi that China and India are cooperation partners, not rivals, and that the two countries are each other's development opportunities rather than threats. This perspective is in keeping with the long history of mutually beneficial contact between our two civilisations," he wrote.

He also said peace along the India-China border is important for the relationship between the two countries.

India is hosting the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit at Bharat Mandapam under its 2026 BRICS presidency. The theme of the presidency is "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability". New Delhi has placed issues concerning developing countries and the Global South on the summit agenda.

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