India Hosts 18th BRICS Summit, Focuses on Four Core Pillars and High-Level Bilateral Talks

UPDATED: Sep 12, 2026 08:18 ISTIndia is hosting the eighteenth BRICS Summit, marking its chairship with over four hundred preparatory meetings centered on humanity first. The summit's core theme highlights four pillars: resilience, innovation, connectivity, and sustainability, alongside focused outreach to women and farmers. The eleven-member economic bloc represents forty percent of global GDP based on purchasing power parity and nearly fifty percent of the world's population. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's itinerary includes bilateral meetings with leaders from Ethiopia, Malaysia, Abu Dhabi, Vietnam, and China. In addition to diplomatic dialogues, leaders will participate in a sapling planting initiative at Bharat Mandapam, attend a cultural presentation featuring one hundred and sixty artists from member nations, and join a gala dinner. India has also proposed funding one hundred startups and prepared fifty outcome documents to deliver tangible solutions for international challenges. Read MoreVIDEOS FROM OTHER SECTIONSLATEST VIDEOSIndia-China Bilateral Talks, BRICS Summit And Border Relations AheadChinese President Xi Jinping is set to visit India for the BRICS Summit, marking his first visit to the country in seven years. The visit follows brief greetings at the Bishkek SCO Summit and a bilateral meeting in Tianjin in August 2025. Bilateral discussions are expected to focus on the border, trade, investment, and the broader relationship following the 2020 Galwan clash. Past diplomatic engagements between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping include the 2014 Ahmedabad visit, the 2015 Xi'an meeting, the 2018 Wuhan informal summit, and the 2019 Mamallapuram summit. The upcoming talks assess whether diplomatic relations can move towards stabilization.PM Modi-Xi Jinping Talks, Trade Imbalance And Global South Focus Ahead Of 18th BRICS SummitIndia is hosting the 18th BRICS summit in New Delhi, bringing focus to key bilateral and multilateral dynamics. Ahead of the summit meetings, discussions highlight the significance of the engagement between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping following their border tensions. Key topics include managing border disputes, addressing the widening trade deficit where China remains India's largest trading partner, and securing greater market access for strategic sectors like batteries and clean energy infrastructure. The analysis covers the geopolitical role of the Russia-China-India triad, India's strategic multi-alignment, and the broader push for a multipolar global order. Representing nearly 2.8 billion people and 40 per cent of the global population, India and China continue to play a central role in shaping the Global South through platforms like BRICS, the G20, and the SCO, supported by long-standing civilisational ties.BRICS Summit, India-China Bilateral Talks And US Trade DynamicsPolitical discussions surrounding the BRICS summit focus on the upcoming bilateral engagement between India and China alongside broader geopolitical considerations. Discussions highlight that member nations seek economic resilience against external trade and military pressures without creating direct confrontation with the United States. Trade dynamics between the two countries involve industrial competitiveness, including supply chains where raw chemicals for generic pharmaceuticals are sourced from international suppliers. The dialogue addresses market access, historical trade impediments, and the spillover of border issues into economic relations. The multilateral platform brings together nations with divergent viewpoints to build consensus on shared economic interests and global leadership opportunities, reinforcing mutual diplomatic cooperation across upcoming summits.PM Modi-Xi Jinping Bilateral Meet, BRICS Summit in Delhi & India-China RelationsPrime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are set to hold a high-stakes bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in the national capital. The visit marks Chinese President Xi Jinping's first trip to India in seven years and the first direct bilateral engagement since the Galwan border clashes. Chinese state media noted that ties between India and China are demonstrating positive momentum and highlighted that closer bilateral cooperation benefits the Global South, Asia, and global stability. The discussions follow multiple rounds of National Security Advisor and military commander-level talks aimed at de-escalating border tensions, restoring commercial flights, and addressing bilateral trade. Analysts note that leadership-level engagement between the two major Asian economies serves as a significant diplomatic step towards regional peace, trade diversification, and normalised ties.