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Xi Jinping to attend BRICS summit in New Delhi, China confirms
The summit is being hosted by India and will bring together leaders of the BRICS grouping for discussions on key global and economic issues.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit India for the first time in nearly seven years to attend the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12-13, China’s foreign ministry said on Thursday. Xi’s visit, at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will also provide an opportunity for the two leaders to review the gradual improvement in India-China ties and the efforts to resolve outstanding border issues.
Xi last visited India in October 2019, when he met Modi in Mamallapuram. Relations between the two countries deteriorated sharply months later after a military standoff erupted along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh in 2020. The Galwan Valley clash in June that year, in which 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese troops were killed, pushed bilateral ties to their lowest point in decades.
The four-year military face-off began to ease after India and China reached an understanding in October 2024 on disengagement at the remaining friction points of Depsang and Demchok. Modi and Xi met days later on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan and agreed to revive mechanisms for addressing the border dispute and normalising relations.
Since then, the two sides have taken several steps to rebuild ties, including resuming direct flights and reviving the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. India and China have also continued discussions through diplomatic and military channels on maintaining peace and tranquillity along the LAC. In May this year, the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs reviewed the situation and noted progress in maintaining peace along the frontier.
The effort to improve relations has continued in recent months. At talks in August, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who are the two countries’ Special Representatives on the boundary question, reached an eight-point consensus that included additional military meeting points, new hotline channels and the reopening of three designated border trading points. India and China also held their first corps commander-level meeting in the eastern sector in Arunachal Pradesh on September 6.
New Delhi, however, continues to maintain that peace and tranquillity along the border are essential for normal ties. External affairs minister S Jaishankar reiterated this position during a meeting with Wang in July, saying that progress on the border remains a prerequisite for fully normalising India-China relations.
Xi’s visit and his meeting with Modi are therefore expected to be closely watched for indications of how far the two countries are prepared to take the ongoing process of stabilising relations while addressing the unresolved boundary dispute.
Deep Dive
BRICS summit in New Delhi
India is hosting the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, with the grouping’s leaders expected to discuss a range of global political and economic issues. Xi’s presence will make his bilateral meeting with Modi one of the most closely watched engagements on the margins of the summit, particularly against the backdrop of the efforts by India and China to stabilise relations.
The summit will also provide an opportunity for India to engage with other major BRICS members on issues including global conflicts, economic cooperation and reforms of multilateral institutions.
