New Delhi: Chinese President Xi Jinping is likely to visit India next month for the BRICS summit in New Delhi, a move that could provide another significant opening for dialogue between the two Asian powers after years of strained relations.
Reuters, citing three sources familiar with the preparations, reported on Monday that Xi is expected to attend the September 12-13 summit and could be accompanied by a delegation of around 400 officials. The visit, if confirmed, would be Xi’s first trip to India in seven years.
The report comes as India and China are gradually attempting to rebuild relations following the military confrontation along their disputed Himalayan border.
However, Xi’s visit has not yet been officially confirmed.
China’s Foreign Ministry said Beijing attaches importance to BRICS cooperation and supports India, the current chair, in hosting the summit, but said it did not have information to provide on Xi’s travel plans. India’s Ministry of External Affairs also did not comment on the report.
That distinction is important because the final travel schedule and any bilateral meeting between Xi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are yet to be settled.
If the visit takes place, it would mark Xi’s return to India for the first time since 2019. Modi visited China last year, the first such trip by an Indian prime minister in seven years, as both countries began efforts to move their relationship away from the confrontation that followed the 2020 border clashes.
The BRICS summit could therefore become more than a multilateral gathering for the two countries.
India and China remain strategic competitors, particularly over the border, regional security and their competing interests in the Indo-Pacific and wider Asian neighbourhood. At the same time, both have an interest in keeping channels of communication open.
The proposed visit also comes shortly after Doval’s arrival in Beijing for the latest round of boundary talks with Wang Yi. The timing has drawn attention because the border dialogue and possible high-level political engagement are taking place within the same diplomatic window.
The relationship has changed considerably since the Galwan clashes of 2020. A disengagement agreement in 2024 helped reduce military tensions, but the broader boundary dispute remains unresolved.
Any meeting between Modi and Xi in New Delhi would therefore be closely watched for its political and strategic message, particularly whether the two governments are prepared to move beyond managing tensions towards a broader stabilisation of relations.
For India, the BRICS summit also comes at a time when the country is seeking to balance its relationships with major powers while maintaining its strategic autonomy.
For China, participation at the summit would provide an opportunity to engage with India as the current BRICS chair and strengthen its role within the grouping.
For now, the key fact remains that Xi’s participation is reported as likely but has not been officially confirmed.
If the visit is finalised, it could become one of the most closely watched India-China diplomatic engagements in recent years.
