Chinese President Xi Jinping is likely to visit India next month to attend the BRICS Summit in New Delhi, accompanied by a delegation of around 400 officials, in what would be his first trip to the country in seven years and a significant moment in the gradual thaw between the Asian neighbours. India will host the BRICS leaders’ summit in the national capital on September 12 and 13. While preparations are under way for Xi’s participation, his travel plans have not yet been formally confirmed by Beijing.
If the visit goes ahead, it will be Xi’s first trip to India since 2019 and his first since the deadly Galwan Valley clash in 2020 pushed bilateral relations to their lowest point in decades. The expected size of the Chinese delegation reflects the significance Beijing is attaching to the summit and comes as India and China attempt to expand diplomatic engagement while continuing to manage unresolved differences over their disputed Himalayan boundary.
First visit since ties plunged
Relations between India and China deteriorated sharply following the military confrontation in eastern Ladakh in 2020. The Galwan clash left 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese troops dead and led both countries to deploy tens of thousands of soldiers along the Line of Actual Control.
A disengagement agreement reached in 2024 helped create space for a gradual diplomatic reset, although the boundary dispute remains unresolved and both sides continue to maintain substantial military deployments.
Recent months have seen New Delhi and Beijing intensify political and diplomatic contacts aimed at preventing fresh confrontations and restoring a degree of stability to the relationship.
National Security Adviser Ajit Doval is also expected to engage Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi under the Special Representatives mechanism on the boundary question as the two governments prepare for the BRICS gathering.
Despite the renewed dialogue, India has maintained that peace and tranquillity along the border are essential for the broader bilateral relationship to develop normally.
BRICS could provide diplomatic opening
Xi’s presence in New Delhi would give Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Chinese leader another opportunity for face-to-face discussions at a time when both countries are cautiously rebuilding engagement.
The two leaders have met on the sidelines of multilateral gatherings since the 2020 crisis, but an India visit by Xi would carry greater diplomatic significance.
The September summit could therefore be watched as closely for possible India-China interactions as for developments within BRICS itself.
The grouping has expanded considerably beyond its original membership of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, giving this year's summit added weight amid shifting global economic and geopolitical alignments.
China has publicly backed India’s role as BRICS chair and expressed support for New Delhi in hosting the summit.
Border differences remain
A possible Xi visit would not, however, mean that the longstanding disputes between the two countries have disappeared. The neighbours continue to disagree over their roughly 3,800-km disputed frontier, while strategic competition across South Asia and the Indo-Pacific remains a source of friction.
The two countries also have differences over trade, investment and security, even as economic ties remain substantial.
New Delhi has taken a cautious approach towards normalising relations, linking broader progress to stability along the border. Beijing, meanwhile, has sought greater engagement in economic and diplomatic areas while calling for the boundary dispute to be handled separately from the wider relationship.
Xi’s expected arrival with a large delegation could nevertheless become one of the clearest signs yet that both sides are prepared to move towards more sustained engagement after years of strained ties.
With the BRICS Summit less than three weeks away, attention will now turn to whether Beijing formally confirms Xi’s attendance and whether the visit produces a bilateral meeting with Modi alongside the multilateral gathering.