Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to visit India for the BRICS Summit in September, marking the first time the Chinese president has visited the country since the Galwan clash and the military standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
The summit, being held amid global uncertainty, will take place in New Delhi on September 12 and 13. India is the current chair of the grouping.
Media reports suggest that Xi has accepted the invitation and expressed support for India's BRICS presidency.
It has been seven years since Xi's informal summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Mamallapuram of Tamil Nadu, in 2019.
Barely a few months after the informal summit, a brawl broke out between soldiers from both sides in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh, leading to a military standoff. Following a series of diplomatic and military talks, the two sides withdrew their troops from several friction points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. In October 2024, the two sides finalised a disengagement pact for Depsang and Demchok, the last two friction points in eastern Ladakh.
While Xi has not visited India over the past seven years, he and Prime Minister Modi have met regularly on the sidelines of various summits.
Modi visited China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in September. The two leaders held extensive talks on the sidelines of the summit. Modi said India is committed to taking forward its ties with China based on mutual trust, respect and sensitivity.
BRICS, originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, expanded in 2024 to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the UAE, with Indonesia joining in 2025.
On Thursday, China said it supports India in making this year's BRICS Summit a "full success."
"BRICS is an important platform for cooperation among emerging markets and developing countries," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a media briefing.
"China attaches great importance to and actively participates in BRICS cooperation. We support India, the chair of this year's BRICS, in making the BRICS Summit a full success," she said.
