Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to arrive in India for his first visit in nearly seven years, attending the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12-13. His meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is anticipated to garner significant attention as the two nations work on stabilizing their relationship, which has been strained due to the 2020 military standoff along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh.
The bilateral ties between India and China were notably damaged following the deadly clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020, where 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese troops lost their lives. However, progress was made when both countries reached a disengagement agreement in October 2024 concerning the Depsang and Demchok areas. Following this, Modi and Xi met during the BRICS summit in Kazan, where they agreed to revive dialogue mechanisms to address border disputes and mend bilateral relations.
In the aftermath of these developments, India and China have resumed direct flights and restarted the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. Diplomatic and military dialogues have continued with the aim of maintaining peace along the shared border. In August, agreements were reached between National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, establishing an eight-point consensus that included new military meeting points, new hotline channels, and the reopening of three designated border trading points. A corps commander-level meeting was also held in the eastern sector on September 6.
Despite these efforts, India maintains that a peaceful and stable border is crucial for fully normalizing relations with China. The discussions between Xi and Modi during this summit are expected to shed light on the extent to which both nations are prepared to push forward with the stabilization process, while also addressing the unresolved boundary issues. Additionally, the BRICS summit will see leaders from participating countries come together to deliberate on global political and economic matters, including conflicts, economic cooperation, and reforms to multilateral institutions.