Chinese President Xi Jinping is likely to visit India next month

Chinese President Xi Jinping is likely to attend the upcoming BRICS summit in New Delhi next month, potentially marking his first visit to India in seven years. The summit is scheduled to take place on September 12-13, and Indian officials familiar with the preparations suggest that Chinese officials are actively making hotel and security arrangements.

If Xi attends, he is expected to be accompanied by a substantial delegation of approximately 400 officials. This would be a significantly larger entourage than the fewer than 200 officials who traveled with him to India in 2019. While China has not officially confirmed Xi's travel plans, its Foreign Ministry stated that Beijing highly values BRICS cooperation and supports India's hosting of the summit.

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Beijing attaches great importance to BRICS cooperation and supports India in hosting the summit, but said it had no information to provide about Xi’s arrangements.

The potential visit comes after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended an invitation to Xi during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in August 2025. Reports indicate Xi accepted the invitation and voiced support for India's presidency of BRICS. This engagement follows a period of significant tension between the two nations, particularly after the deadly Galwan Valley clash in June 2020, which resulted in casualties on both sides and a prolonged military standoff along the disputed Himalayan border.

Despite the lingering border dispute, diplomatic engagement has seen a gradual resumption. Prime Minister Modi visited China last year, and direct commercial flights have restarted, with some visa restrictions eased. India's National Security Adviser Ajit Doval also recently held talks in Beijing with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, where the border dispute was a key topic. The BRICS summit, which will also include leaders from Russia and Iran, occurs amid global trade tensions and conflicts, increasing the importance of economic and diplomatic cooperation among emerging economies. A confirmed visit by Xi would represent a significant diplomatic interaction, offering an opportunity to further stabilize India-China relations.

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stable India-China relations depend heavily on peace along the border, saying that tranquillity in the border areas is a prerequisite for broader bilateral ties.