Chinese President Xi Jinping’s arrival in New Delhi for the BRICS summit marks his first visit to India in seven years.

The timing is significant as the Indian military is simultaneously engaged with all three other Quad partners, underscoring New Delhi’s balancing act between dialogue with Beijing and deepening defence cooperation with the United States, Japan and Australia.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi began bilateral meetings with visiting BRICS leaders on Friday, including Russian President Vladimir Putin.

A meeting between Modi and Xi is being arranged on the margins of the summit, where the two leaders are expected to review progress in bilateral ties following the disengagement of troops from several friction points along the Line of Actual Control.

China has repeatedly criticised the Quad, describing it as an “anti‑China front line” and “mini NATO”, accusing it of bloc confrontation. The four members, however, maintain that the Quad is not a military alliance, but the timing of India’s engagements with its partners highlights the strategic convergence taking place.

The 22nd edition of Exercise Yudh Abhyas with the US Army began on Wednesday and will continue until the end of the month. For the first time, the exercise is being conducted across two theatres, with contingents training at the Mahajan Field Firing Ranges near Bikaner before moving to Auli in Uttarakhand, roughly 95 kilometres from the LAC.

The drill has expanded well beyond its original peacekeeping orientation to include long‑range fires, high‑altitude operations, air mobility, logistics and counter‑unmanned aerial systems.

In parallel, the Indian Air Force and Japan Air Self‑Defence Force began Exercise Veer Guardian‑26 at Jodhpur. The two‑week exercise features Japanese F‑2A fighters alongside IAF Tejas, Su‑30MKI and Rafale aircraft.

Both sides are undertaking advanced operational missions and professional exchanges. Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh and his Japanese counterpart General Takehiro Morita are expected at the base during the drill and are likely to fly sorties.

Meanwhile, Navy chief Admiral Krishna Swaminathan began his visit to Australia on Wednesday, focusing on operational interaction, interoperability, information‑sharing, training and professional exchanges with the Royal Australian Navy and Australian defence leadership.

He will subsequently engage New Zealand’s defence leadership. India and Australia already have a Mutual Logistics Support Arrangement and conduct AUSINDEX, while Australia has participated in Malabar with India, the US and Japan since 2020.

The maritime engagement assumes greater importance as the People’s Liberation Army Navy expands operations beyond China’s near seas. Chinese warships, submarines and survey vessels have become a persistent presence in the Indian Ocean, while Beijing’s military base at Djibouti provides a foothold for sustained operations in the western Indian Ocean.

India has responded by building a wider maritime picture through mission‑based deployments and information‑sharing with partner countries. The Information Fusion Centre‑Indian Ocean Region at Gurugram hosts liaison officers from several partner navies and is intended to improve maritime‑domain awareness and the exchange of operational information.

The convergence of these military engagements with Xi’s visit underscores the complexity of India’s strategic environment. On one hand, New Delhi is hosting the Chinese leader for dialogue at the BRICS summit. On the other, it is reinforcing defence ties with the US, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, signalling its intent to maintain balance and readiness in a contested Indo‑Pacific.

Agencies