India getting ready for Xi, Putin visits in September
India is preparing to host the BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12-13, 2026, during its rotational BRICS chairmanship year.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin are both expected to attend, with the Russian side having confirmed participation and the Chinese side indicating its leadership is likely to travel.
India's Foreign Secretary concluded a two-day visit to Beijing, holding meetings with senior Chinese officials to review the full range of bilateral relations and carry forward the gradual normalisation of ties.
Chinese officials have arrived in Delhi to assist with security arrangements ahead of the summit.
If confirmed, Xi Jinping's visit would be his first trip to India since the 2019 informal summit in Mahabalipuram.
BRICS — Origin, Expansion, and India's 2026 Chairmanship
BRICS originated as an informal grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, and China following their first summit at Yekaterinburg in 2009; South Africa joined in 2010, giving the bloc its current acronym. The grouping expanded significantly in 2024 to admit Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, followed by Indonesia's accession in early 2025 as the first Southeast Asian member — taking full membership to 11 countries. The chairmanship rotates annually among members; India holds the 2026 chair, its fourth time doing so after 2012, 2016, and 2021.
Key Details
- First summit: 2009, Yekaterinburg, Russia (Brazil, Russia, India, China)
- South Africa joined: 2010
- 2024 expansion: Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE
- Indonesia joined: early 2025 (first Southeast Asian member)
- Full membership (2026): 11 countries
- India's 2026 BRICS Summit: New Delhi, September 12-13
As chair for 2026, India is hosting the annual leaders' summit, making the confirmed or expected attendance of the Russian and Chinese heads of state a major diplomatic marker for the grouping's cohesion amid its expanded, more heterogeneous membership.
India-China Bilateral Mechanisms — Special Representatives and Foreign Secretary-Level Talks
India and China maintain a layered set of bilateral engagement mechanisms distinct in level and mandate. The Special Representatives (SR) mechanism, established in 2003, is the highest-level channel specifically tasked with negotiating a framework for the boundary settlement — held at National Security Advisor/senior leadership level. Separately, Foreign Secretary-level and Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) meetings handle broader bilateral relations, border management, and de-escalation issues, operating below the SR mechanism.
Key Details
- SR mechanism established: 2003, to negotiate political parameters for the India-China boundary question
- WMCC (Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on Border Affairs): handles routine border-management dialogue between designated officials of both sides
- October 2024: India and China finalised a disengagement agreement covering Depsang and Demchok, the last two friction points from the 2020 Ladakh standoff
- Foreign Secretary-level talks (distinct from SR talks) address the full spectrum of bilateral ties, including trade, people-to-people exchange, and border peace
The Foreign Secretary's Beijing visit and the preparatory diplomatic engagement ahead of the BRICS summit reflect the broader normalisation track that has run alongside — but is distinct from — the dedicated Special Representatives boundary talks.
India-Russia Strategic Partnership and the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership
India and Russia have designated their bilateral relationship a "Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership," a term used to signal the highest tier of bilateral engagement, encompassing defence cooperation (including the S-400 air defence system and the BrahMos missile programme), energy trade, and consistent diplomatic alignment, including at multilateral forums such as BRICS and the SCO. India has continued to expand energy and defence ties with Russia even amid Western sanctions related to the Ukraine conflict, reflecting a long-standing strategic autonomy approach in Indian foreign policy.
Key Details
- India-Russia ties termed "Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership" since 2010
- Major defence platforms: S-400 Triumf air defence systems, BrahMos supersonic cruise missile (joint India-Russia venture)
- India is one of the largest importers of discounted Russian crude oil since 2022
- Both countries are members of BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)
Putin's expected attendance at the New Delhi summit continues the pattern of high-level India-Russia engagement at multilateral platforms, reinforcing the strategic partnership even as India simultaneously manages a separate, more cautious normalisation process with China.
- BRICS Summit 2026: New Delhi, September 12-13
- India's BRICS chairmanship: fourth time (previously 2012, 2016, 2021)
- BRICS full membership (2026): 11 countries
- 2024 BRICS expansion: Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE; Indonesia added 2025
- Xi Jinping's last visit to India: October 2019, informal summit at Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu
- Special Representatives (SR) mechanism on the India-China boundary question: established 2003
- October 2024 disengagement pact covered the last two Ladakh friction points: Depsang and Demchok