The Chinese president Xi Jinping landed in the Indian capital, New Delhi, on Saturday morning on a visit to attend the 18th BRICS Summit, accompanied by two top Chinese officials, Cai Qi and Wang Yi. It will be closely followed as it involves a meeting between Xi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi who will participate in the BRICS summit as well. The visit of the Chinese president to India marks the end of nearly seven years when the two countries tried hard to stabilize their ties. As reported by China’s official media outlet Xinhua, Xi left Beijing for New Delhi early on Saturday morning at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Who Accompanied Xi Jinping To India?
The delegation of Xi also consists of Cai Qi, who is a member of the highly influential Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China, and the director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee.
According to Xinhua, Wang Yi, the Chinese Foreign Minister, and a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, will also be attending the Indian visit of Xi. Their inclusion in Xi’s delegation adds further importance to his visit to India. This is due to the fact that both countries are working towards improving their bilateral relations after the military standoff that occurred in 2020 in eastern Ladakh.
Wang Yi has been an important player in the discussion between India and China concerning bilateral relations and the boundary dispute. Wang conducted detailed discussion with India’s National Security Adviser, Ajit Doval in Beijing.
During the 25th round of talks between the Special Representatives of the two countries in Beijing on August 25, India and China reached an eight-point consensus. The understanding included an agreement to move forward with discussions aimed at achieving an early and substantial outcome on boundary delimitation and border management.
Why Is The Modi-Xi Meeting Important?
President Xi’s trip to India takes place amid efforts by the two countries to come out of a phase of strained ties. President Xi’s interaction with Prime Minister Modi will be all the more significant since he has met him consecutively for three years after their initial meetings in Kazan and Tianjin, as per Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning. In his words, China wishes to enhance its communication with India, cooperate more and manage its differences by looking at the bigger picture of the relationship.
“China is ready to work together with India based on the strategic guidance of the two heads of state to view bilateral ties from a strategic perspective, increase communication, deepen cooperation, manage differences properly, and make friends and partners who will support each other’s development,” Mao added.
This statement clearly demonstrates China’s intentions of enhancing its communication and maintaining its relationship on a more stable track. For India, the Modi-Xi meeting is significant because the two countries still have important differences, particularly over the border. At the same time, India and China have substantial economic ties, making stable relations important for trade and wider regional cooperation.
What Will Xi Discuss At The BRICS Summit?
Among the events on the itinerary is attending and speaking at the BRICS summit that will take place in New Delhi. Mao said that he will discuss the international and regional issues with other leaders as well as the development of the BRICS format and practical cooperation. Mao added that President Xi Jinping will also put forward China’s ideas about the expansion of cooperation within the BRICS group of nations.
“Regarding the importance of the New Delhi summit against the backdrop of the ongoing crisis between Iran and US and Ukraine and Russia, Mao said that China believes in common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security.”
It means that disputes and conflicts should be solved politically. “We are committed to promoting the political settlement of hotspot issues through dialogue. We look forward to working with fellow BRICS countries to promote dialogue and negotiation to resolve differences and jointly safeguard regional and global peace and stability,” she said. These positions are significant because the BRICS Summit is taking place against the backdrop of major conflicts in West Asia and the Russia-Ukraine war.
What Is The Significance Of Xi’s India Visit?
The meeting of Modi and Xi is likely to receive significant attention as it might give signals regarding the future course of India-China relations. Both the countries have taken measures to cool down the tensions resulting from the 2020 border clash in eastern Ladakh. The recent discussion held by the officials of both sides and the achievement of the eight-point agreement during the Special Representatives’ Meeting on August 25 indicates that both are interested in engaging each other regarding border management.
Nevertheless, the border dispute will always be a sensitive issue for both. The border talks and military disengagement can have implications beyond the issue itself for their relationship. But at the same time, both countries would like to pursue economic cooperation and avoid the disruption of bilateral relationship due to their disagreements.
When Did Xi Jinping Last Visit India?
Xi’s most recent visit to India was in 2019 for an informal summit with Indian PM Modi at Mamallapuram close to Chennai. This follows his previous visit to India in 2016 where he attended the BRICS summit in Goa. Xi’s first visit to India as president of China was in September 2014. This shows that Xi’s 2026 visit is a critical one to India following a gap of about seven years, at a time when both nations are trying to normalize their relationship.
When Is The BRICS Summit 2026?
18th BRICS Summit is being hosted by India in New Delhi on September 12 & 13. In this two-day summit, all the BRICS member states along with their leaders and senior representatives will come together to deliberate on international as well as regional affairs and cooperate on several matters, including trade, finance, development, technology, energy and connectivity.
Since India’s BRICS Presidency, the next one is supposed to be taken up by China. Therefore, Xi Jinping’s presence in the summit, along with his senior officials Cai Qi and Wang Yi, lends much diplomatic significance to it and to India-China engagement in general.
