China’s President Xi Jinping will attend the BRICS summit in New Delhi this weekend, Beijing said on 10 September. This would be Jinping’s first visit to India in seven year
“At the invitation of Prime Minister of the Republic of India Narendra Modi, President Xi Jinping will attend the in New Delhi from September 12 to 13,” a foreign ministry statement read.
The high-profile Summit, scheduled at Bharat Mandapam, brings together leaders of BRICS Member and Partner Countries, as well as Outreach Invitees.
India is the BRICS Chair for the 2026 edition. The is guided by the theme: “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.”
The BRICS Summit comes at a challenging moment for India, as the grouping navigates the fallout from the US-Iran war and the wider crisis in the .
For New Delhi, the immediate challenge will be to strike a delicate diplomatic balance. The expanded BRICS includes Iran as well as the UAE and Saudi Arabia, countries with differing interests and positions on the regional conflict.
A on the sidelines is widely scheduled on Saturday. The Chinese leader’s delegation could run to around 400 officials, roughly double the 2019 contingent, according to some media reports.
There has been intense diplomacy between China and India, the latest being the 25th round of Special Representative talks, held in Beijing on 28 August, between National Security and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
Putin also attending
Russian President will attend the Summit. This would be his second visit to India in under a year, following the annual bilateral summit in New Delhi in December 2025. Modi renewed the invitation to Putin in person when the two leaders met at the SCO summit in Bishkek on 31 August. Modi-Putin meeting is scheduled on Friday.
BRICS was formed in 2006 as an informal BRIC alliance comprising four countries – Brazil, Russia, India, and China. Today, BRICS brings together eleven major emerging markets and worldwide. The other member countries are South Africa,Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
There are 10 partner countries as well.
Full list of global leaders attending the Summit
- Xi Jinping — President, China
- Vladimir Putin — President, Russia
- Cyril Ramaphosa — President, South Africa
- Masoud Pezeshkian — President, Iran
- Abdel Fattah el-Sisi — President, Egypt
- Abiy Ahmed — Prime Minister, Ethiopia
- Prabowo Subianto — President, Indonesia
- Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan — Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, UAE
- Mauro Vieira — Foreign minister, Brazil
BRICS partner and outreach leaders
- Alexander Lukashenko — President, Belarus
- Kassym-Jomart Tokayev — President, Kazakhstan
- — Prime Minister, Malaysia
- Anutin Charnvirakul — Prime Minister, Thailand
- Miguel Díaz-Canel — President, Cuba
- Bola Ahmed Tinubu — President, Nigeria
- Shavkat Mirziyoyev — President, Uzbekistan
- Jessica Alupo — Vice-President, Uganda
- António Guterres — UN Secretary-General
Complete schedule of the two-day summit
Saturday, 12 September 2026
-2 PM: Arrival of BRICS Leaders (BRICS Member Countries)
Venue: Level 2, Bharat Mandapam
-2:35 PM: Closed Session for BRICS Member Countries: “Inclusive Global Governance and Strengthening Multilateralism”
Venue: Summit Hall, Level 2, Bharat Mandapam
-4:25 PM: Witnessing “(Leaders of BRICS Member Countries)
Venue: Hall 14, Bharat Mandapam
-5:05 PM: Family Photo (Leaders of BRICS Member Countries)
Venue: Outside Lawns, Bharat Mandapam
-5:10 PM: Joint Tree Plantation (Leaders of BRICS Member Countries)
Venue: Outside Lawns, Bharat Mandapam
-7:30 PM: Gala Dinner hosted by the Prime Minister
Venue: Level 3, Bharat Mandapam
Sunday, 13 September 2026
-9:55 AM: Arrival of Leaders (HOGs/HODs) of BRICS Partner Countries/Outreach Invitees
Venue: Level 2,
-10:35 AM: Family Photo
Venue: Level 2, Bharat Mandapam
-10:50 AM: Open Session “Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability: Shaping the Future for Inclusive Global Growth”
Venue: Summit Hall, Level 2, Bharat Mandapam.
(With inputs from agencies)