Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in New Delhi to participate in the BRICS summit, joining leaders from India, Russia, and Iran. The two-day meeting of the 11-nation bloc is expected to be dominated by discussions on global trade turbulence, energy security, and the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
This visit is particularly significant as it marks Xi’s first trip to neighbouring India since 2019. It represents the most substantial step yet in a cautious thaw between the two nuclear-armed rivals. The diplomatic engagement follows a six-year period of strained relations that began with a violent, hand-to-hand military clash in the Galwan Valley of the eastern Ladakh region in 2020. That confrontation resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese soldiers. Since that time, ties have seen a gradual improvement through the restoration of flights, visa services, and high-level communications.
Despite these efforts, the underlying territorial dispute remains unresolved, with both nations maintaining heavy military deployments along the high-altitude border between India-administered Kashmir and Chinese-controlled Aksai Chin. Beijing stated on Friday that it remains ready to work with India by strengthening communication, enhancing cooperation, and properly handling differences.
Xi is scheduled to hold face-to-face discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi later on Saturday. Experts suggest that both sides are seeking an early and substantial harvest regarding the border issue, though deep mistrust persists due to the contested Himalayan frontier, a widening trade deficit, and strategic rivalry. Pradeep Taneja, a China-India expert at the University of Melbourne, noted the inherent difficulty of maintaining economic and people-to-people relations while forces remain built up on the border.
The BRICS forum, which was established in 2009 for emerging economies to increase their influence, has seen significant expansion, including the addition of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Iran. These new members hold sharply differing positions on the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. Other leaders attending the summit include UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el Sisi. Brazil is represented by Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, as President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is currently campaigning for a fourth term in October elections.
Harsh V. Pant of the Observer Research Foundation observed that the Gulf conflict is expected to be a central fault line during the meeting. He added that while the expansion of the bloc was previously viewed as an achievement, it currently presents a significant constraint, especially after BRICS foreign ministers failed to reach an agreement on a joint statement during their meeting in New Delhi this past May.
