NEW DELHI, Aug 24 (Reuters) – Chinese President Xi Jinping is likely to attend next month’s BRICS summit in New Delhi with a large delegation, three sources said, in what would be his first visit in seven years and a fresh sign of a thaw between the rivals.
India is hosting the September 12 to 13 summit, where Xi’s presence would be watched less for the BRICS agenda than for what it signals about Beijing and New Delhi’s efforts to stabilise relations after deadly border clashes in 2020.
“Chinese officials are busy finalising hotels and security protocols,” one of the Indian sources with direct knowledge told Reuters.
Last year, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited China for the first time in seven years, but the relationship has only improved gradually. More recently, a fresh border-related dispute triggered sharp diplomatic exchanges between the two sides.
Two other Indian sources said Xi was likely to be accompanied by a delegation of about 400 officials, compared with fewer than 200 officials the last time in 2019.
Officials from both countries are expected to use the summit to explore ways to expand engagement while managing long-standing differences over the border and regional security issues, the sources added.
But on August 12, India said peace along the border was critical to ties after reports that Indian and Chinese army patrols came face-to-face in late July near a remote border.
India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Monday started his visit to Beijing to meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to hold talks on the boundary issue.
While India and China remain competitors, U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade policies have created one area of convergence, making Xi’s attendance a signal that neither side wants external pressure to undermine BRICS.
($1 = 95.7450 Indian rupees)
