China Monitor
The monitor features developments related to China during the month and is compiled by our research team of Amb. Biren Nanda, Senior Fellow, and Sanket Joshi, Research Associate, from open-source reports and publications.
India hosted the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12-13, 2026. On the sidelines of the summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping held a meeting on September 12, 2026. The two leaders welcomed the steady progress in India-China bilateral relations since their meeting in Tianjin (August 2025) and reiterated that the two nations should take a strategic and long-term perspective of their ties.
On September 12, 2026, Prime Minister Modi and President Xi addressed the 18th BRICS Summit. PM Modi emphasised the importance of multilateralism and inclusive global governance, while urging BRICS to pursue initiatives to “make the Global South move from being a rule-taker to a rule-shaper”.
President Xi, in his remarks, hailed the rise of BRICS over the past two decades, describing the group as the most influential global cooperation platform for emerging markets and developing countries. He reiterated China’s concerns about surging unilateralism and power politics, which is destabilising the international order. To address the deficits in peace, development, security, and governance, Xi drew attention to China’s Global Development Initiative (GDI), Global Security Initiative (GSI), Global Civilisational Initiative (GCI), and Global Governance Initiative (GGI).
President Xi paid a state visit to the U.S. from September 23-25, 2026. During his meeting with President Trump, the two leaders reiterated their intent to build a “constructive relationship of strategic stability” based on respect, fairness, and reciprocity. They agreed to extend their trade truce that was set to expire on November 10, 2026, for another two months, until January 10, 2027. They also agreed to establish and take forward the Board of Trade and other mechanisms while providing a more favourable tariff treatment for USD 30 billion of non-sensitive goods in each direction.
On September 15, 2026, Troy Meink, U.S. Secretary of the Department of Air Force, acknowledged that the U.S. has deployed “on-orbit space control weapons” capable of defending the joint force against hostile adversary action. Reacting sharply, China warned that Washington’s push to weaponise outer space would only intensify the space arms race, undermining humanity’s shared home. Chinese analysts argued that deploying weapons in space was considered a taboo; however, the U.S. has broken that taboo, and humanity is at a breaking point in history as a result.
President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, delivered her State of the Union address on September 16, 2026. She reiterated concerns about Europe’s massive trade deficit with China and urged Beijing to rebalance trade. Chinese state media warned Brussels that if it intends to wage a trade war, it would constitute a “regrettable strategic miscalculation” on the part of the EU.
President Xi chaired a meeting of the CPC Political Bureau on September 21, 2026, in which it was announced that the 20th CPC Central Committee will hold its fifth plenary session from October 26-29, 2026.
To read this issue please click China Monitor, Vol. IX, Issue 9.
