BRICS 2026: seven-year gap ends as Xi returns to Delhi... border, Brahmaputra, trade on table?

Chinese President Xi Jinping is in New Delhi for the 18th BRICS Summit, where he is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 12 — his first visit to India in nearly seven years. The highly anticipated bilateral comes as New Delhi and Beijing seek to consolidate a cautious thaw in ties following the 2020 border crisis. The two leaders are expected to discuss the boundary issue as well as broader bilateral relations, including trade, visas, technology and economic cooperation. India has maintained that the situation along the border will have a bearing on the overall relationship, while Beijing has argued that the boundary dispute should not hold back wider ties.