New Delhi: Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to travel to India next month for the BRICS summit in New Delhi, a visit that could become an important moment in the cautious improvement of relations between the two countries.
Xi’s possible visit has gained attention because it would be his first trip to India in nearly seven years. Reuters reported that he is likely to attend the summit with a delegation of around 400 people, including officials, business representatives and support staff. However, Beijing has not officially confirmed the visit yet.
The BRICS summit is scheduled to take place in New Delhi on September 12 and 13. India is hosting the meeting as part of its BRICS presidency.
A visit by Xi would come at a time when India and China are trying to carefully rebuild ties after years of tension.
Relations between the two countries were badly affected by the 2020 military clash in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh. The dispute led to a prolonged military stand-off along the Line of Actual Control and also affected economic and diplomatic ties.
Since then, both sides have taken steps to reduce tensions along the border.
The latest diplomatic engagement has added to those efforts. National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held the 25th round of talks between the two countries’ Special Representatives in Beijing this week. The discussions focused on the boundary issue as well as broader bilateral relations.
The talks are taking place at a time when both governments appear interested in keeping the relationship from slipping back into confrontation.
That does not mean the major differences between India and China have disappeared.
The boundary dispute remains unresolved, and both countries continue to have competing territorial claims along their Himalayan frontier. India is also closely watching China’s activities in areas bordering the country.
At the same time, trade and economic relations remain important for both sides.
A possible meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Xi during the BRICS summit could therefore attract considerable attention. It could provide the two leaders with an opportunity to discuss the border situation as well as wider bilateral and regional issues.
But it would be too early to describe the possible visit as a breakthrough.
For now, Xi’s attendance remains unconfirmed, while diplomatic contacts between the two countries are continuing.
If the visit does go ahead, however, it would give India and China another high-level opportunity to test how far their recent efforts to stabilise relations can go.
For New Delhi, the message will likely remain clear: better relations with China are possible, but they will depend heavily on peace and stability along the border.
