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BRICS summit India LIVE: Chinese airline resumes Guangzhou to New Delhi flights ahead of Modi-Xi meet today
Sep 12, 2026, 09:30:24 IST

BRICS summit India LIVE: Chinese President Xi Jinping has reportedly left Beijing for New Delhi at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The two leaders are expected to meet on the sidelines of the two-day BRICS summit on Saturday.

Key Events

• 10 Mins agoChina's Southern airlines to resume Guangzhou-New Delhi flights ahead of Xi's visit
• 26 Mins agoAhead of Modi-Xi meet, China vows to ‘properly handle differences’
• 31 Mins agoForeign journalist praises India's local flavours in media kit
• 48 Mins agoWhat is on agenda today
• 57 Mins agoIndia hails ‘growing cooperation’ as Belarus foreign minister arrives in Delhi
• 1 Hr 2 Mins agoMorning visuals from Bharat Mandapam ahead of key summit
• 1 Hr 6 Mins agoXi Jinping leaves Beijing with high-level delegation

Security officers stand guard beside BRICS summit banners bearing images of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping in New Delhi, India, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026.

BRICS summit India LIVE: Chinese President Xi Jinping has reportedly left Beijing for New Delhi on Saturday to attend the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit, with his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi expected to be the key highlight of the day. The engagement comes as New Delhi is hosting the highly-anticipated event on September 12 and 13, with leaders and senior delegations from member countries arriving in the national capital since Thursday evening….Read More

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in New Delhi on Friday for a three-day visit to participate in the summit and hold talks with Modi. Putin on Friday took potshots at G-7 and said the BRICS countries account for more than half of the world's population and have “dynamic, vibrant, domestic markets".

Putin is accompanied by a high-level delegation. His visit marks his first in-person participation at a BRICS summit outside Russia since the war in Ukraine began in February 2022.

Brazilian foreign minister Mauro Vieira also arrived in New Delhi to represent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who remains in Brazil for his election campaign.

Xi, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali and Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung are among the other top leaders attending the summit.

Chinese President in New Delhi today

Xi has left Beijing and is on the way to New Delhi at the invitation of Modi, China’s People’s Daily reported early Saturday. The two leaders are expected to meet on the sidelines of the two-day summit, which is being hosted by India at Bharat Mandapam.

While announcing the Chinese premiere's visit, the country's ambassador to India Xu Feihong said: "China will work with India to act on the strategic guidance of the two leaders, handle the bilateral relations from a strategic height and long-term perspective, step up communication, enhance cooperation, properly handle differences, and be friends enjoying good-neighborliness and partners helping each other succeed," the envoy wrote on X.

What is on BRICS agenda today

1. The BRICS leaders will begin arriving at Bharat Mandapam from 2pm on Saturday. The first closed session, scheduled for 2.35pm, will focus on “Inclusive Global Governance and Strengthening Multilateralism.”

2. The leaders will later visit the Bharat Innovates exhibition before posing for a family photograph and participating in a joint tree plantation. Modi will host a gala dinner for the visiting leaders at 7.30pm.

3. The summit will continue on Sunday with the arrival of leaders of BRICS partner countries and outreach invitees. An open session titled “Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability: Shaping the Future for Inclusive Global Growth” is scheduled for 10.50am.

4. India is hosting the summit under its 2026 BRICS presidency, its fourth chairship of the grouping. The presidency is guided by the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.”

5. BRICS currently comprises 11 countries — Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the UAE. Together, the grouping represents 49.5% of the global population, 40% of global GDP and 26% of global trade.

Tight security, traffic curbs in Delhi

The summit has also triggered extensive security arrangements across the national capital.

Around 30,000 police and security personnel, along with sniffer dog squads and anti-drone systems, have been deployed in and around Bharat Mandapam, where the summit is being held.

Delhi Police has put in place a multi-layered security arrangement, with around 15,000 personnel and 200 companies of paramilitary forces deployed across the city. More than 500 CCTV cameras, including high-resolution and specialised surveillance cameras, have also been installed to maintain round-the-clock surveillance of key areas.

The Airports Authority of India has notified airspace restrictions around New Delhi, barring non-scheduled flight operations between 7am and 11pm from September 11 to 13.

Traffic restrictions are also in place on Saturday from 9.30am to 9.30pm. Movement will be regulated around Bharat Mandapam and Pragati Maidan, as well as several key corridors connecting central Delhi with the northern, southern, eastern and western parts of the city.

The Delhi Police has advised commuters to plan their journeys in advance and use the Metro wherever possible.

Follow all the updates here:

Sep 12, 2026, 09:20:15 IST

BRICS summit India LIVE: China's Southern airlines to resume Guangzhou-New Delhi flights ahead of Xi's visit

BRICS summit India LIVE: China Southern Airlines will resume regular passenger services on the Guangzhou-New Delhi route from September 21, marking the relaunch of its India service after a six-year suspension, China's Global Times reported.

The airline will operate more than 100 weekly flights across eight round-trip routes in South Asia following the restart, China’s Global Times reported, citing the carrier.

Sep 12, 2026, 09:04:07 IST

BRICS summit India LIVE: Ahead of Modi-Xi meet, China vows to ‘properly handle differences’

BRICS summit India LIVE: China said it will work with India to “properly handle differences” ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s expected meeting on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi.

Asked about the meeting, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said this will be the third consecutive year that the two leaders meet, following their meetings in Kazan and Tianjin.

"China will work with India to act on the strategic guidance of the two leaders, handle bilateral relations from a strategic height and long-term perspective, step up communication, enhance cooperation, properly handle differences, and be friends enjoying good-neighbourliness and partners helping each other succeed," she said.

Sep 12, 2026, 08:59:21 IST

BRICS summit India LIVE: Foreign journalist praises India's local flavours in media kit

BRICS summit India LIVE: Several foreign journalists have praised the thoughtful selection of items in the ministry of external affairs’ media kit, with a German media delegate telling news agency ANI, “I have been to the BRICS summits in Brazil and South Africa, but this is the best bag.”

The MEA’s media kit gives journalists from India and across the world a glimpse of the country’s rich cultural diversity ahead of the September 12–13 summit.

From Bihar’s earthy sattu to Koraput’s hill-grown coffee and Gujarat’s intricate handicrafts, India’s culinary traditions, local produce and artisanal skills are taking centre stage alongside high diplomacy at the 18th BRICS Summit in Delhi.

Sep 12, 2026, 08:42:20 IST

BRICS summit India LIVE: What is on agenda today

1. The BRICS leaders will begin arriving at Bharat Mandapam from 2pm on Saturday. The first closed session, scheduled for 2.35pm, will focus on “Inclusive Global Governance and Strengthening Multilateralism.”

2. The leaders will later visit the Bharat Innovates exhibition before posing for a family photograph and participating in a joint tree plantation. Modi will host a gala dinner for the visiting leaders at 7.30pm.

3. The summit will continue on Sunday with the arrival of leaders of BRICS partner countries and outreach invitees. An open session titled “Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability: Shaping the Future for Inclusive Global Growth” is scheduled for 10.50am.

4. A meeting between PM Modi and China's President Xi Jinping is expected to be the highlight of the day as the two leaders are meeting on Indian soil after seven years.

Sep 12, 2026, 08:32:33 IST

BRICS summit India LIVE: India hails ‘growing cooperation’ as Belarus foreign minister arrives in Delhi

BRICS summit India LIVE: Belarus foreign minister Maxim Ryzhenkov arrived in New Delhi on Saturday to attend the 18th BRICS Summit.

Ministry of external affairs spokespersonRandhir Jaiswal extended a warm welcome to Ryzhenkov on X, he wrote: “ India and Belarus share warm and friendly relations, marked by growing cooperation across a broad range of areas, in bilateral and multilateral.”

Sep 12, 2026, 08:28:01 IST

BRICS summit India LIVE: Morning visuals from Bharat Mandapam ahead of key summit

BRICS summit India LIVE: Visuals from outside Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, where the 18th BRICS Summit is set to begin today, September 12.

The two-day summit will bring together leaders of BRICS member and partner countries, along with outreach invitees.

This year’s summit is being held under the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.”

India, a founding member of BRICS, has previously held the grouping’s chairship three times — in 2012, 2016 and 2021.

Sep 12, 2026, 08:24:28 IST

BRICS summit India LIVE: Xi Jinping leaves Beijing with high-level delegation

BRICS summit India LIVE: Chinese President Xi Jinping left Beijing on Saturday for New Delhi to attend the 18th BRICS Summit, according to Chinese news agency Xinhua.

His entourage includes Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, and Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Chinese foreign minister, Xinhua reported.