Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to arrive in New Delhi on Saturday for the 18th BRICS Summit, his first visit to India in seven years, as India and China continue a cautious effort to stabilise relations after years of border tensions.
Xi is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi at 6 p.m. on Saturday, according to an India Today report. The expected agenda includes the situation along the Line of Actual Control, the wider boundary dispute, and measures affecting trade and investment between the two countries.
Xi last visited India in October 2019, when he and Modi held an informal summit in Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu. Relations deteriorated after the June 2020 clash in eastern Ladakh, in which 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese soldiers were killed.
India and China subsequently maintained large military deployments along their roughly 3,500-kilometre high-altitude border while holding military and diplomatic talks on disengagement. The territorial dispute remains unresolved.
Since 2024, the two governments have taken limited steps towards restoring regular ties. Direct flights have resumed, some visa procedures have been eased, senior political contacts have increased, and the two sides have moved towards reopening border trade and people-to-people links.
The report characterised the thaw since 2024 as cautious, with stabilisation still short of a broader political and economic reset.
Significant points of disagreement remain. The India Today report cited the unresolved boundary, continued military deployments, strategic rivalry, an unbalanced trade relationship, and restrictions affecting investment, technology, equipment and business travel.
Following the 2020 confrontation, India increased scrutiny of Chinese investment, restricted Chinese mobile applications and sought to reduce dependence on Chinese companies and technology. Saturday’s bilateral meeting is expected to show whether the recent diplomatic steps can produce further agreements while those disputes remain in place.
The Galwan Valley confrontation triggered a prolonged military standoff and a broader deterioration in political and economic ties. In the years that followed, the two governments concentrated on military and diplomatic negotiations and disengagement arrangements while continuing to maintain communication channels.
Sources
India Today: Xi Jinping returns to India for BRICS summit
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Story synopsis gathered from: India Today – India — source
