Xi Jinping to Attend BRICS Summit in Delhi on September 12-13

Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12 and 13, China’s Foreign Ministry has announced. He is also expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the summit on September 12.

The visit comes as India-China ties show signs of improvement after years of tensions following the 2020 Galwan Valley clash. A meeting between Modi and Xi would be their first formal bilateral talks since the deadly border confrontation.

Xi’s visit will also mark his first trip to India in seven years and his first since the 2020 border crisis. The two leaders recently met at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Kyrgyzstan, where they shook hands but did not hold a formal bilateral meeting. Ahead of the visit, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval travelled to China for high-level discussions. The two countries have also held talks through mechanisms focused on border affairs and the boundary question.

India and China have taken steps to stabilise relations following the disengagement of troops from several friction points along the Line of Actual Control. However, the wider boundary dispute remains unresolved. The proposed Modi-Xi meeting could focus on the border issue, regional security, trade and investment, people-to-people ties and measures to prevent renewed tensions along the LAC.

India is hosting the 18th BRICS Summit on September 12 and 13 as the current chair of the grouping. The summit comes amid wider geopolitical and economic challenges, including US tariff measures and instability in West Asia.