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Snapshot of the day
September 10, 2026
Anirudh S.K. & Kalrav Joshi
Ahead of New Delhi hosting the BRICS leaders’ summit on September 12-13, the capital is being decked up in preparation, even as barricades, traffic personnel and police attempt to take care of the rest. The decor, meanwhile, has prompted one rather precise diagnosis:
Russian President Vladimir Putin has already arrived in the capital for the BRICS summit. China has now confirmed that President Xi Jinping will travel for just under 24 hours this weekend at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s invitation, marking his first visit to India in seven years. Xi is expected to meet Modi on the sidelines, in the latest step in the diplomatic thawing of ties frozen by the deadly 2020 border clashes. But the rapprochement has its limits. Reuters notes that “there are few signs as yet that their business ties will improve”, with investment restrictions, visa delays, export controls and a persistent ‘trust deficit’ continuing to shadow the relationship.
Aditya Kalra reports that the Serious Fraud Investigation Office under the corporate affairs ministry has recommended that India investigate Xiaomi for alleged irregularities in its business model, the movement of its funds and whether the firm sought compulsory investment approvals in line with New Delhi’s tightened requirements post the 2020 clashes. Asked about it today, the Chinese foreign ministry said Beijing hopes India will “provide a fair, just, transparent and non-discriminatory business environment for enterprises from all countries”.
Eight years after the last visit to India by an Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian will arrive in New Delhi on Friday afternoon for a two-day visit that comes as India seeks to bridge differences between Tehran and the United Arab Emirates over the war in Iran and salvage a consensus BRICS declaration.
Bangladesh, meanwhile, has ruled out Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s participation. His “first visit cannot be a multilateral one,” Rahman’s foreign affairs adviser Humayun Kabir said per the state-run BSS news agency. “We are placing greater emphasis on bilateral visits and discussions.” India had invited Rahman to the BRICS summit in his capacity as chair of the BIMSTEC grouping, rather than as Bangladesh’s PM. A separate bilateral visit remains possible “when the environment is favorable and mutual respect is maintained”, said Kabir.
