Chinese President Xi Jinping is likely to visit India next month

New Delhi: Chinese President Xi Jinping is likely to visit India next month for the BRICS summit in New Delhi, potentially marking his first visit to the country in seven years, Reuters reported, citing Indian officials familiar with the preparations.

India is scheduled to host the BRICS summit on September 12–13. According to the report, Chinese officials have been working on hotel bookings and security arrangements in anticipation of Xi’s possible attendance. He could be accompanied by a delegation of around 400 officials, significantly larger than the fewer than 200 officials who travelled with him to India in 2019.

China has not officially confirmed Xi’s travel plans. Its Foreign Ministry said 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 follows an invitation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin in August 2025. Xi reportedly accepted the invitation and expressed support for India’s BRICS presidency.

A visit would be Xi’s first to India since the 2019 informal summit in Mamallapuram. Bilateral relations deteriorated sharply following the Galwan Valley clash in June 2020, in which 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese soldiers were killed. The confrontation led to a prolonged military standoff along the disputed Himalayan border. A disengagement agreement reached in October 2024 helped ease tensions.

Diplomatic engagement has since gradually resumed. Modi visited China last year for the first time in seven years, while direct commercial flights have resumed and some visa restrictions have been eased. China also took part in India’s AI Impact Summit earlier this year.

Ahead of the BRICS meeting, India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval travelled to Beijing for talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, with the border dispute among the key issues discussed.

The BRICS summit is expected to bring together leaders of the expanded grouping, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. The meeting comes amid global trade tensions and conflicts in West Asia, increasing pressure on emerging economies to strengthen economic and diplomatic cooperation.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has stressed that 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.

If confirmed, Xi’s visit would represent one of the most significant India-China diplomatic engagements since the Galwan crisis and could provide an important opportunity for both sides to further stabilise relations.