Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit India for the first time in nearly seven years to attend the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12 and 13, China's foreign ministry said on Thursday. The visit, which comes at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is expected to give the two leaders an opportunity to assess the gradual improvement in India-China relations and discuss efforts to resolve outstanding issues along the border.
Xi last travelled to India in October 2019, when he held an informal summit with Modi in Mamallapuram. Bilateral relations deteriorated sharply months later following the military standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh in 2020. The Galwan Valley clash in June that year, which killed 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese troops, marked one of the lowest points in relations between the two countries in decades.
India-China ties show signs of gradual improvement
The four-year military confrontation began to ease after India and China reached an agreement in October 2024 for disengagement at the remaining friction points in Depsang and Demchok. Modi and Xi met days later on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan, where they agreed to revive mechanisms for dealing with the boundary dispute and work towards restoring normal relations.
Since then, New Delhi and Beijing have taken a series of measures aimed at rebuilding bilateral ties. These include the resumption of direct flights and the revival of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. Diplomatic and military channels have also remained active, with both sides continuing discussions on maintaining peace and tranquillity along the LAC.
In May this year, the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs reviewed the situation and noted progress in maintaining peace along the frontier.
The diplomatic engagement has continued in recent months. During talks in August, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who serve as the two countries' Special Representatives on the boundary question, reached an eight-point consensus. The agreement included proposals for additional military meeting points, new hotline channels and the reopening of three designated border trading points.
India and China also held their first corps commander-level meeting in the eastern sector in Arunachal Pradesh on September 6.
Border peace remains key to normalising relations
Despite the improvement, India continues to stress that peace and tranquillity along the border are essential for the normalisation of wider bilateral ties. External affairs minister S Jaishankar reiterated this position during his meeting with Wang in July, maintaining that progress on the border remains a prerequisite for fully restoring normal relations.
Xi's forthcoming visit and his meeting with Modi are therefore expected to attract considerable attention for signs of how far the two countries are willing to advance the process of stabilising ties while addressing the unresolved boundary dispute.
The visit also comes at a time when both sides have been seeking to rebuild political and economic engagement after years of strained relations. The leadership-level interaction could provide an opportunity to assess the progress made since the 2024 disengagement understanding and determine the next steps in bilateral relations.
BRICS summit to focus on global challenges
India is hosting the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, where leaders of the grouping are expected to discuss a broad range of global political and economic issues.
Xi's participation will make his bilateral meeting with Modi one of the most closely watched engagements on the sidelines of the summit, particularly given the recent efforts by India and China to stabilise their relationship.
The summit will also allow India to engage with other major BRICS members on issues including global conflicts, economic cooperation and reforms to multilateral institutions.