BRICS Summit: Chinese President Xi Jinping To Visit India, Hold Bilaterals With PM Modi

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson has officially confirmed that President Xi Jinping will visit India to attend the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi. The visit follows an official invitation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. President Xi Jinping will be present in New Delhi from September 12 to September 13 for the summit meetings. The official statement ends weeks of speculation regarding the Chinese President's participation in the high-profile gathering hosted by India.

In an exclusive interaction, the High Commissioner of Bangladesh to India addressed key regional and bilateral issues spanning BIMSTEC, BRICS, and Bangladesh-India relations. Discussing the invitation extended to BIMSTEC for the BRICS Summit, he emphasized that regional platforms bring constructive engagement to multilateral forums. He described the nature of regional integration as cooperative competition, balancing shared interests, values, and mutual respect while recognizing regional asymmetries. Addressing Bangladesh-India bilateral ties, the High Commissioner highlighted the necessity of collaboration between governments and people. He underlined the Teesta water-sharing issue as an essential litmus test for mutual trust, respect, and shared ecological and economic benefits between the two nations, noting the profound human impact on over two crore people. Furthermore, he noted Bangladesh's active commitment to regional mechanisms like BIMSTEC, SAARC, and BBIN, while underscoring that diplomacy and bilateral ties must prioritize human aspirations, dignity, and democratic principles.

A special address outlines India's vision for space exploration, highlighting collective responsibility, multilateral cooperation, and sustainability. The space domain must be guided by international law and open scientific data to serve humanity. ISRO's contributions encompass weather forecasting, disaster management, navigation, and launching over four hundred and thirty satellites for thirty-four countries. Key milestones include Chandrayaan-3 landing near the lunar south pole and Aditya-L1 studying the Sun. India aims to establish an Indian space station by 2035 and land an Indian on the Moon by 2040. India's private space sector is expanding alongside ISRO. Bilateral space collaboration with France, which began at Thumba in the 1960s, continues to grow across advanced technologies and Earth observation. A call was made at the space summit in Paris for global partners to explore, innovate, and protect space together.

Speaking at an India Today roundtable on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit, South African High Commissioner to India Anil Sooklal shared his perspective on the evolution of BRICS over the past two decades. He emphasized that the assembly of leaders in New Delhi demonstrates the Global South's capacity to provide global leadership amidst an increasingly fractured international order. Addressing geopolitical reforms, Sooklal highlighted BRICS' consistent advocacy for reforming global governance structures, including the United Nations Security Council, noting that the Johannesburg II Declaration explicitly recorded support from Russia and China for the aspirations of India, Brazil, and South Africa. On economic cooperation, he clarified that de-dollarisation is a narrative pushed by the Global North rather than an explicit BRICS agenda, reflecting instead a natural shift in global trade dynamics. Furthermore, Sooklal stressed the immense untapped potential in bilateral trade, direct air connectivity, and youth startup collaboration between India and South Africa.