Wang Yi to visit India for BRICS NSA meeting on June 22-23
Synopsis
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is set to arrive in India on June 22 for the 16th BRICS NSA meeting — the latest in a string of high-level Beijing-New Delhi engagements under India's 2026 BRICS chairmanship. The visit comes even as India declined to issue a joint statement at the BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting, flagging divergent views on West Asia — a quiet signal that consensus within the grouping remains elusive.
Key Takeaways
Wang Yi will visit India on 22-23 June for the 16th BRICS NSA and High Representatives Meeting .
The visit is at the invitation of NSA Ajit Doval , confirmed by China's foreign ministry on 18 June .
India holds the BRICS chair in 2026 under the theme 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.' India issued a Chair's statement — not a joint statement — after the BRICS FMM, citing divergent views on West Asia .
In February , China's Ma Zhaoxu visited India for the BRICS Sherpa Meeting and held the India-China Strategic Dialogue with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri .
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will travel to India to attend the 16th Meeting of BRICS National Security Advisors (NSAs) and High Representatives on National Security, scheduled for 22-23 June. The visit was confirmed by a spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday, 18 June, marking another high-level bilateral engagement between the two nations under India's BRICS chairmanship.
Official Confirmation and Invitation
According to the Chinese foreign ministry, Wang Yi — who serves as Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs — will attend the meeting at the invitation of India's National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval. The ministry spokesperson confirmed the visit in an official statement, underscoring the diplomatic significance attached to the engagement.
India's BRICS Chairmanship in 2026
India holds the BRICS chair in 2026 under the theme 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability' — a framework reflecting the people-centric, humanity-first approach articulated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 17th BRICS Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in 2025. The NSA-level meeting is among the key high-level convenings India is hosting as part of its chairmanship calendar.
Recent BRICS Diplomatic Activity
Wang Yi's upcoming visit follows a series of China-India diplomatic touchpoints under the BRICS umbrella. In February, China's Executive Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu visited India for the BRICS Sherpa Meeting, during which he and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri held the India-China Strategic Dialogue in New Delhi, covering bilateral ties as well as global and regional issues.
On 15 May, China's Ambassador to India, Xu Feihong, congratulated India on successfully hosting the BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting (FMM), describing discussions as 'in-depth and constructive.' Xu noted that the Chair's Statement and Outcome Document reflected broad consensus on international and regional issues, BRICS's future direction, and reform of global governance. He also signalled China's readiness to deepen solidarity as the incoming BRICS Chair.
Fault Lines Within BRICS
The diplomatic momentum, however, has not been without friction. India issued a Chair's statement — rather than a joint statement — at the conclusion of the two-day BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting in New Delhi, citing differing views among member states on the situation in West Asia and the Middle East. The meeting, chaired by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, saw participation from foreign ministers and senior representatives of BRICS member countries and partner nations.
Wang Yi's visit to New Delhi for the NSA-level meeting will be closely watched as a gauge of where India-China bilateral ties stand ahead of China's own BRICS chairmanship in 2027.
Point of View
But for the context it arrives in. India and China have been carefully rebuilding engagement channels after years of post-Galwan frost, and the BRICS calendar has provided useful multilateral cover for bilateral signalling. Yet India's refusal to issue a joint statement at the BRICS FMM — citing West Asia disagreements — is a reminder that the two sides remain misaligned on core geopolitical questions. The real question is whether the NSA-level format, historically a back-channel for security-sensitive issues, will allow Doval and Wang Yi to move beyond the diplomatic choreography and address the harder bilateral agenda.
NationPress
5 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Wang Yi visiting India in June 2026?
Wang Yi is visiting India on 22-23 June 2026 to attend the 16th Meeting of BRICS National Security Advisors and High Representatives on National Security. He is travelling at the invitation of India's NSA Ajit Doval as part of India's 2026 BRICS chairmanship activities.
What is the 16th BRICS NSA meeting about?
The meeting brings together national security advisors and high representatives from BRICS member countries and partner nations to discuss security-related issues. It is one of several high-level meetings India is hosting as the 2026 BRICS chair under the theme 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.'
What is India's BRICS chairmanship theme for 2026?
India's 2026 BRICS chairmanship theme is 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability,' reflecting the people-centric approach articulated by PM Modi at the 17th BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 2025.
Why did India issue a Chair's statement instead of a joint statement at the BRICS FMM?
India issued a Chair's statement at the conclusion of the BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting in New Delhi because member states held differing views on the situation in West Asia and the Middle East. A joint statement requires consensus, which could not be reached on those issues.
What other India-China diplomatic meetings have taken place under BRICS in 2026?
In February 2026, China's Executive Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu visited India for the BRICS Sherpa Meeting and held the India-China Strategic Dialogue with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri. In May, China's Ambassador Xu Feihong congratulated India on hosting the BRICS Foreign Ministers' Meeting.
