Chinese President Xi Jinping is in New Delhi for the 18th BRICS Summit on September 12-13, his first visit to India in nearly seven years, as Beijing signals a cautious thaw in ties with New Delhi.
Ahead of his arrival, Chinese Ambassador to India Xu Feihong said China and India are arranging a bilateral meeting between Xi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, marking the third consecutive year the two leaders have met after their meetings in Kazan in 2024 and Tianjin in 2025.
Xu said China wants the two countries to strengthen communication, expand cooperation, properly manage differences and remain “friends enjoying good-neighbourliness and partners helping each other succeed”. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning echoed the message, saying Beijing wants to approach ties from a “strategic and long-term perspective”.
The outreach comes after years of tension following the 2020 Galwan Valley clash. While border concerns and strategic mistrust remain, recent developments including new border hotlines, renewed economic engagement and the resumption of connectivity suggest both sides are attempting to stabilise ties through dialogue rather than confrontation.
Beijing Signals A Reset
Xi’s return to New Delhi comes at a significant moment for India-China relations. Xu Feihong said in a post on X that the two countries are working towards a bilateral meeting between Xi and Modi on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit. He highlighted that this would be their third successive annual meeting, following Kazan in 2024 and Tianjin in 2025.
Beijing’s messaging has also been consistent across official channels. Mao Ning said China is ready to work with India to implement the strategic guidance of the two leaders, strengthen communication, enhance cooperation and “properly handle differences”. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has also confirmed that Xi is attending the New Delhi summit at Modi’s invitation from September 12 to 13.
The language points towards cooperation without suggesting that the difficult issues between the two neighbours have disappeared. For India, the border remains central to the relationship, while questions around trade, Chinese investment, market access and strategic security continue to require attention. A recent Indian Express report said the two countries are also working towards a possible strategic economic dialogue covering issues including the trade deficit, investment, visas and market access.
India’s Ambassador to China Vikram Doraiswami also stressed the wider importance of stable ties, saying a “stable, predictable and cooperative relationship” between the two countries is important not only for their 2.8 billion people but also for the credibility of BRICS as a platform for emerging economies.
From Galwan To Cautious Thaw
The current diplomatic outreach follows one of the most difficult periods in India-China relations. In June 2020, Indian and Chinese troops engaged in a deadly confrontation in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh, killing at least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers. It was the first fatal military confrontation between the two countries since 1975 and led to a major military build-up along their disputed Himalayan border.
Relations began showing signs of improvement after the two sides reached a disengagement agreement in October 2024. Modi and Xi subsequently met in Kazan, their first formal bilateral meeting in five years.
Modi later travelled to China for the 2025 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin, where the two leaders met again. Xi’s present visit is therefore another step in a diplomatic process that has gradually moved from confrontation towards engagement.
The border dialogue has also gained momentum. On August 25, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held the 25th round of talks between the Special Representatives on the boundary question in Beijing.
The two sides reached an eight-point consensus, including commitments to maintain peace along the border and advance negotiations towards a “fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable” settlement.
The agreement also includes two additional military meeting points and two new border military hotline channels in the eastern and middle sectors. Both sides agreed to strengthen communication to prevent misunderstandings and miscalculations, while also discussing trans-border rivers, border trade and pilgrimage. These measures are aimed at better managing the border; they do not amount to a final settlement of the boundary dispute.
Economic ties are another major factor behind the cautious reset. China was India’s largest source of imports in the 2025-26 financial year, with imports worth about $132 billion. Direct flights and business links have also begun returning, although India remains cautious about Chinese investment in sensitive sectors and businesses on both sides continue to face regulatory and visa-related hurdles.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
The latest India-China outreach is a reminder that even deeply strained relationships need channels for dialogue. The 2020 Galwan clash showed how quickly mistrust between two nuclear-armed neighbours can turn into a serious human and security crisis. For people living along the border, for families connected through travel and pilgrimage, and for businesses dependent on stable supply chains, prolonged hostility comes with real costs.
At the same time, meaningful peace cannot be built through statements alone. The latest “good-neighbourliness” message from Beijing will carry greater weight if it is followed by consistent efforts to maintain peace along the Line of Actual Control, resolve differences peacefully and create greater predictability in bilateral relations.
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