BRICS Summit 2026: Xi Jinping coming to Delhi – will India-China thaw change regional equation?

Following years of deep freeze after the 2020 Galwan Valley clash, Modi and Xi will meet face-to-face for bilateral talks on economic and security ties.

New Delhi: Marking his first visit to India in seven years, Chinese President Xi Jinping will arrive in New Delhi on September 12 for the 18th BRICS Summit. His visit comes at a time when New Delhi and Beijing are trying to stabilise relations after years of tension following the 2020 Galwan Valley clash.

The Chinese president will attend the summit on September 12-13 at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The two leaders are also expected to hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the summit. It would be their first face-to-face bilateral meeting since the deadly Galwan clash, adding importance to the visit beyond the BRICS agenda.

Xi last visited India in 2019 for the informal Modi-Xi summit in Mamallapuram. His absence from the G20 summit hosted by India in 2023 had become an important point in India-China relations. His return to New Delhi now comes after several rounds of diplomatic negotiations between the two countries.

Trade is one of the biggest factors

Trade is likely to feature prominently in the India-China talks. Bilateral trade reached a record $155 billion last year, rising 12.4 per cent from the previous year, according to Chinese customs data. Trade during the first seven months of this year has increased another 23 per cent year-on-year.

The trade data shows how closely the two economies are connected even after the tensions that followed Galwan. India and China have large commercial interests in areas such as electronics, manufacturing, machinery and clean-energy supply chains.

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At the same time, economic relations still face several hurdles. Reuters reported that businesses continue to deal with regulatory restrictions, visa delays and restrictions on the movement of industrial equipment. Chinese companies have also been cautious about making new investments in India, while New Delhi continues to examine Chinese participation in sensitive sectors.

This makes the Modi-Xi meeting important for economic relations as well as political ties. Any progress on visas, investment and trade could help businesses on both sides.

What will happen on the border?

The boundary dispute is likely to be another major issue in the Modi-Xi talks.

India and China have taken several steps since the 2020 military confrontation to reduce tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The two sides agreed on patrolling in 2024, followed by disengagement at other friction points. Modi and Xi later met in Kazan in October 2024 and again in Tianjin in August 2025.

During their previous meeting in Tianjin, the two leaders discussed the need to maintain peace along the border and work towards a fair and mutually acceptable solution to the boundary question. They also agreed on the need to improve people-to-people ties through direct flights and visa facilitation and discussed increasing trade and investment.

The next Modi-Xi meeting could take these talks forward. Issues expected to feature include the border situation, trade, investment, connectivity and regional security.

Why China wants better ties with India

China also has reasons to improve its relationship with India. New Delhi has maintained its strategic autonomy and has not joined the AUKUS security partnership involving the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. India is also a member of the Quad along with the United States, Japan and Australia, although it has not turned the grouping into a military alliance.

China has closely watched India's position as competition between Beijing and Washington has intensified. Better relations with New Delhi can help Beijing avoid another major strategic challenge in Asia.

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Menwhile, India has its own reasons for keeping channels open with China. The two countries are major Asian economies and large trading partners. India also needs stability along the border while it strengthens its economic and diplomatic ties with other countries.

The improvement in ties therefore does not mean that all disputes have been settled. India still has differences with China over the boundary, trade practices and Beijing's activities in India's neighbourhood. China has its own reservations about India's strategic cooperation with the United States and other countries.

BRICS gives Modi and Xi another platform

Xi's visit also comes at a time when BRICS has become a larger grouping and an important forum for countries seeking greater cooperation outside traditional Western-led institutions.

India's BRICS presidency gives New Delhi an opportunity to host Xi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other leaders at a time of major geopolitical changes. The summit is expected to cover economic cooperation, trade, multilateral institutions and international security.

The most important part of the summit may happen outside the main BRICS sessions. A direct Modi-Xi meeting could show how far the two countries are ready to take the recent improvement in ties.

The visit also comes with a practical test. Diplomatic relations have improved faster than business ties, with companies still facing regulatory and market-access difficulties. Reuters reported that the two countries continue to carry considerable mistrust despite the diplomatic thaw.

Xi's return to India therefore has a larger message than the BRICS meeting itself. It shows that New Delhi and Beijing are willing to maintain high-level ties even while differences over the border, trade and regional security continue.

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