India and China: Meeting on the Sidelines of the BRICS Summit

Source: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (Faz) | Original Published At: 2026-09-12 12:04:52 UTC

Key Points

• Xi Jinping's first India visit in seven years dominated the BRICS summit in New Delhi, including a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines.
• India sought to frame BRICS as non-Western rather than anti-Western, while Russian President Vladimir Putin used the BRICS Business Forum to promote anti-Western rhetoric.
• India and China are working to normalize relations after years of border tensions, with agreements on Himalayan patrol patterns, resumed direct flights, visa issuance, and some easing of trade barriers.
• BRICS expansion to Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Indonesia complicated the formulation of a joint final declaration due to disagreements over the Middle East war.
• India emphasized energy, food security, climate change, and digitalization, while participants explored linking cross-border digital payment systems without directly challenging the US dollar.
• Modi proposed a ten-point plan for global governance, and China, which will assume the BRICS chairmanship next year, may shape the bloc's agenda more strongly.