PM Modi invited Xi Jinping to the 2026 BRICS Summit in India. China extended support to New Delhi’s presidency, strengthening diplomatic engagement within the multilateral grouping. Image Credit: X/@IndiaToday
Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the SCO Summit held in China and invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to the BRICS Summit that will be hosted by India in 2026, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Sunday. President Xi thanked PM Modi for the invitation and stated that Beijing completely supports New Delhi's BRICS presidency.
India is all set to take over the summit from Brazil in 2026. PM Modi stated that India would give the grouping a 'new form' during its presidency at the Rio de Janeiro summit earlier this year.
He described BRICS as Building Resilience and Innovation for Cooperation and Sustainability, highlighting Global South priorities, much like India’s G20 approach.
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The bloc recently expanded to 11 members, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Iran. It is now considered an integral platform for Global South cooperation.
PM Modi also spoke in support of China's presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), during their meeting in Tianjin. The two leaders last met in October 2024 at the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia.
Border issues featured prominently in their talks. PM Modi stressed that “peace and tranquility in the border areas” is essential for stronger bilateral relations. Both leaders welcomed disengagement at friction points and the relative calm along the boundary. They reaffirmed commitment to a “fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable” solution to the boundary dispute, guided by broader bilateral interests.
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The MEA noted that both sides agreed India and China are 'development partners, not rivals', emphasizing that differences should not become disputes. It added, “A stable relationship and cooperation between India and China, the home to 2.8 billion people, is vital not only for the growth of both nations but also for a multipolar Asia and a multipolar world.”
