BRICS Summit 2026: China's Xi to meet Modi today — SkimNews
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- Xi Jinping arrived in New Delhi on September 12 for the 18th BRICS Summit — his first India visit since 2019 and a step toward normalizing ties frozen after the 2020 Galwan Valley border clash.
- Narendra Modi is scheduled to meet Xi at 5:45 p.m. local time, with bilateral trade and border issues on the agenda; trade between the two reached $151.1 billion in 2025-26, but India imported $131.6 billion against just $20 billion in exports.
- Modi urged Vladimir Putin to end the Ukraine war during their pre-summit bilateral, with both leaders discussing the Middle East conflicts, energy cooperation, and trade across multiple sectors.
- Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met Modi and warned Iran is under "critical, dangerous" US economic pressure, while Modi called for protecting maritime trade during the talks.
- Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed met Modi at Hyderabad House, with UAE-based IHC announcing an $11.5 billion integrated aluminium project in Odisha — India's largest such investment.
- BRICS has reportedly reached a consensus ahead of the summit, with a joint declaration expected soon; Modi also held bilateral meetings with Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed Ali and Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim on defence and economic cooperation.
- India is balancing deepening ties with China and Russia against preserving its relationship with the US, where Trump threatens India with sanctions and tariffs for doing business with Iran and Russia while taking a softer line with Beijing.
Why it matters: India imported $131.6 billion from China against just $20 billion in exports, yet Modi must deepen ties with Beijing while Trump simultaneously threatens India with tariffs over its Russia and Iran business. Xi's first India visit since 2019 could thaw relations frozen by the 2020 Galwan clash, but the $151.1 billion trade imbalance and a pending US trade deal leave New Delhi's room for manoeuvre razor-thin.
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