Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to meet on 12 September in New Delhi during the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit.

This would be their first bilateral meeting since the Galwan Valley clash of June 2020, which resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese troops. Xi is scheduled to arrive in India on Saturday with a 400‑member delegation, underscoring the scale of China’s participation in the summit.

The meeting is significant because, although Modi and Xi have interacted in multilateral forums such as BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, they have not held direct bilateral talks since the Galwan confrontation.

Neither New Delhi nor Beijing has formally confirmed the meeting, but its timing and symbolism are critical as both nations seek to manage tensions while engaging diplomatically.

India‑China relations deteriorated sharply after Galwan, leading to a prolonged military stand‑off along the Line of Actual Control. Diplomatic tensions and restrictions also affected economic ties. Since then, repeated military and diplomatic negotiations have taken place, resulting in troop disengagement at several friction points.

While this has reduced immediate tensions, the wider boundary dispute remains unresolved and continues to cast a shadow over bilateral relations.

Recent diplomatic contacts have included discussions through the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination and meetings between the Special Representatives of both countries on the boundary question.

National Security Adviser Ajit Doval has also held high‑level talks in China, signalling India’s intent to keep channels of communication open. These efforts have created the space for renewed dialogue at the summit.

The talks are also set against the backdrop of continuing differences over Arunachal Pradesh. China claims the Indian state, referring to it as “Zangnan” or southern Tibet, while India firmly rejects this claim and insists Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of the country.

Beijing’s practice of issuing alternative names for places in Arunachal has repeatedly drawn strong objections from New Delhi, which maintains that changing names cannot alter territorial reality.

Beyond the border dispute, trade and economic issues are expected to feature prominently. India has long expressed concern over its trade deficit with China and has sought greater market access for Indian businesses.

Discussions may also touch upon high‑tech investment policies, supply‑chain resilience, and broader economic cooperation. For India, balancing strategic security with economic interests remains a priority, while China may seek to expand its economic footprint in India to strengthen its regional influence.

A bilateral meeting at the BRICS Summit would signal that both nations are willing to maintain high‑level political engagement despite unresolved differences. For India, peace and stability along the LAC remain paramount, while for China, improved ties with India could strengthen cooperation within BRICS and other multilateral forums.

However, the meeting alone will not resolve the boundary dispute. The true test will be whether political engagement translates into sustained progress on border management, economic concerns, and mechanisms to prevent future military tensions.

The proposed meeting comes after years in which India‑China relations were dominated by the consequences of Galwan. The disengagement process has reduced immediate risks, but the relationship remains fragile.

The LAC dispute, China’s territorial claims over Arunachal Pradesh, and the economic imbalance between the two countries remain unresolved. Any summit‑level dialogue will therefore be seen as part of a broader stabilisation effort rather than a breakthrough.

The BRICS setting adds wider significance. As major members of the grouping, India and China both have an interest in maintaining cooperation on issues where their interests overlap.

Their engagement at this summit will be closely watched by other BRICS members and the international community, as it could shape the trajectory of Asian geopolitics in the coming years.

The presence of other leaders, including Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Pakistan’s Shehbaz Sharif, adds further diplomatic weight to the summit, making the Modi‑Xi meeting a focal point of global attention.

Agencies