The possible September visit would be Xi Jinping’s first trip to India in seven years and comes as New Delhi and Beijing work to stabilise ties after the 2020 border crisis.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is likely to visit New Delhi for the BRICS summit on September 12-13, with around 400 Chinese officials expected to accompany him, according to people familiar with preparations. If confirmed, it would be Xi's first visit to India in seven years and a potentially important step in the gradual thaw in relations between the two Asian powers.
The visit has not yet been officially confirmed by Beijing. China's Foreign Ministry has said it attaches importance to BRICS cooperation and supports India's role as host, but has not provided details of Xi's travel plans. Reuters reported that Chinese officials were working on arrangements including hotel bookings and security preparations in New Delhi.
The possible visit comes at a particularly important point in India-China relations. Both countries have sought to maintain dialogue after years of military tensions along their disputed Himalayan border, while differences over the boundary and broader strategic issues remain unresolved.
Why Xi's India Visit Matters
Xi's possible arrival in New Delhi would be significant beyond the BRICS agenda. It would provide an opportunity for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Chinese president to hold direct discussions on bilateral ties, including the border situation, trade and other areas where the relationship has remained difficult.
The two leaders last met in August 2025 on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin. Xi's potential return to India would come seven years after his previous visit to the country, when he travelled to India in 2019 for the second informal summit with Modi.
The proposed delegation of about 400 officials would also be considerably larger than the fewer than 200 officials who accompanied Xi during his 2019 India visit, according to sources cited by Reuters.
Border Issue Still Central
The improvement in diplomatic engagement does not mean the core differences have disappeared.
Relations deteriorated sharply after the deadly 2020 confrontation in eastern Ladakh, which led to a prolonged military standoff and a significant increase in troops and infrastructure along the Line of Actual Control.
Although the two sides reached a disengagement arrangement in October 2024 and subsequently stepped up diplomatic contacts, the boundary dispute remains the biggest strategic issue in the relationship.
That issue is again at the centre of high-level talks on Tuesday, August 25, when National Security Adviser Ajit Dovaland Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi are scheduled to hold the 25th round of India-China Special Representatives talks in Beijing. China has officially confirmed the meeting, saying the discussions will cover the boundary question as well as bilateral, regional and international issues.
The Special Representatives mechanism was established in 2003 to address the long-standing boundary dispute and provide a channel for political-level dialogue.
Doval-Wang Talks Before BRICS
Doval's Beijing visit is therefore significant in the run-up to the possible Xi visit.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the two sides would continue communication in the spirit of understandings reached by their leaders, with the aim of maintaining peace and tranquillity in border areas.
India has repeatedly maintained that peace and tranquillity along the border are essential for the broader relationship to move forward. The outcome of the latest talks could consequently provide an indication of the diplomatic environment ahead of the BRICS summit.
BRICS Connects to Bhopal
India's BRICS chairship has already brought the grouping's activities to Bhopal, providing Madhya Pradesh with a direct connection to this year's BRICS process.
The BRICS Culture Ministers' Meeting was held in Bhopal in August, following three meetings of the BRICS Culture Working Group under India's chairship. The meeting concluded with the adoption of the Bhopal Declaration, focused on strengthening cultural cooperation among BRICS members and partner countries.
Xi's possible New Delhi visit would now place the diplomatic dimension of India's BRICS chairship in sharper focus, particularly given the parallel effort by India and China to manage their bilateral differences.
What Happens Next
For now, Xi's participation remains unconfirmed. The Chinese president's attendance is expected to become clearer as preparations for the September 12-13 summit progress.
If he does travel to New Delhi, the visit could provide Modi and Xi with another opportunity to discuss how to consolidate the recent stabilisation in ties while keeping the unresolved border dispute from derailing broader engagement.
The immediate focus, however, will be on the Doval-Wang talks in Beijing and whether the two sides can maintain peace along the border as they prepare for a potentially important Modi-Xi interaction in New Delhi.
