India
oi-Swastika Sruti
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have an extremely busy schedule as he meets various leaders in a series of bilateral talks during the 18th BRICS Summit being held in New Delhi.
During the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with leaders from Ethiopia, Malaysia, UAE, and Vietnam, featuring a key meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at 5:45 PM amid global trade disruptions.
On Saturday, September 12, Prime Minister Modi will meet the leaders of Ethiopia, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Vietnam and China, with his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at 5:45 PM being the most important one on his schedule.
These meetings are taking place as India is using the platform of the BRICS summit to develop relations with various countries from Asia, Africa and the Gulf amid the war and trade disruptions.
Modi’s September 12 Schedule: Five Key Bilaterals
The Prime Minister’s Saturday schedule begins at 10 AM, when he is scheduled to meet Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali.
At 10:30 AM, Modi will hold talks with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. The meeting is significant for India’s engagement with Southeast Asia and its broader outreach to ASEAN countries.
At 11 AM, Modi will meet Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
The next meeting is scheduled for 11:30 AM, when Modi will meet Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung.
The biggest bilateral of the day is scheduled for 5:45 PM, when Modi will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Meanwhile, President Droupadi Murmu is scheduled to meet Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian at 11:30 AM.
Why the Modi-Xi Meeting Is Being Closely Watched
The Modi-Xi meeting is likely to draw the most attention as the India-China relationship is characterized by unresolved strategic and economic disputes.
This is Xi’s first visit to India in almost seven years. The visit comes after a period of serious rift in the bilateral relationship that followed the clash that occurred at the Himalayan border in 2020.
There have been some indications that the relationship between the two countries is showing some improvements over the last few months with high-level contacts slowly resuming. Nonetheless, border disputes, trade imbalance and strategic competition remain sensitive issues.
Also, Xi’s visit holds significance for BRICS itself since China is one of the leading countries in the group and India hopes to use its upcoming chairmanship in 2026 to boost practical cooperation..
Ethiopia and Malaysia: India’s Outreach Beyond Traditional Partners
Modi’s dialogue with Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed takes place in a backdrop where India is increasingly getting engaged with the continent of Africa.
Ethiopia is one of the emerging economies of Africa, which is also a member of the enlarged BRICS grouping. The engagement of India with African nations is also reflective of the larger policy of India to get engaged with the Global South.
Dialogue with the Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim will bring the region of Southeast Asia into focus, where Malaysia is one of the partner nations in the BRICS process, while India is trying to get closer to ASEAN countries.
Why the UAE Meeting Matters
The meeting with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan comes against the backdrop of serious instability in West Asia.
The region is facing major security and energy challenges, while disruptions to important maritime routes have raised concerns for countries dependent on global trade and energy supplies.
For India, the Gulf is particularly important because of its energy links, trade relations and large Indian community in the region. The UAE is also a BRICS member, making its engagement with India important not just bilaterally but within the wider grouping.
Vietnam Meeting Puts Southeast Asia in Focus
Modi’s meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung will add another important Southeast Asian engagement to the day.
India and Vietnam have developed close strategic relations, with cooperation extending across trade, defence, connectivity and regional security.
The talks are also taking place at a time when countries across the Indo-Pacific are closely watching changes in the regional balance of power.
Pezeshkian Meets President Murmu
While Modi is meeting several leaders, President Droupadi Murmu will hold talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian at 11:30 AM.
Pezeshkian’s presence at the summit comes amid the ongoing Iran conflict and wider instability in West Asia.
Modi had already met Pezeshkian on September 11. During their meeting, the two leaders discussed developments in West Asia, with Modi stressing the importance of dialogue, diplomacy, freedom of navigation and the safety of seafarers.
Iran is particularly important for India because of its strategic location, connectivity plans involving Chabahar and its wider role in India’s engagement with Central Asia.
A Diplomatic Balancing Act for India
The packed schedule highlights the diplomatic balancing act India is pursuing through the BRICS summit. On September 11, Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, followed by UN Secretary-General António Guterres. The Modi-Putin meeting covered political, economic, defence, energy and other areas of bilateral cooperation.
The Iran meeting focused heavily on developments in West Asia and the need to protect maritime trade and seafarers.
On September 12, the focus shifts to Africa, Southeast Asia, the Gulf and China.
This gives New Delhi an opportunity to engage simultaneously with countries that have very different interests and relationships with major global powers.
BRICS Summit Takes Place Amid Global Conflicts
The summit is being held at a time when the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East are putting pressure on global trade, energy supplies and diplomatic relations.
The expanded BRICS grouping now includes 11 members, giving it significant economic and geopolitical weight, but the conflicts have also exposed differences among its members.
India is therefore trying to keep the focus on practical cooperation while maintaining dialogue with countries that may not always agree with each other.
With five major bilateral engagements lined up for Modi on September 12, and the Modi-Xi meeting scheduled for 5:45 PM, the second day of the BRICS summit is expected to be one of the busiest days of India’s diplomatic calendar this year.
