China’s Xi heads to India for BRICS summit overshadowed by wars

What the report says

Chinese President Xi Jinping traveled from Beijing to New Delhi to attend the BRICS summit, according to Al Jazeera and Xinhua, joining leaders including India’s Narendra Modi, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian. The gathering comes as the bloc faces pressure from wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, along with wider trade disruption and energy security concerns. Al Jazeera reported that those issues are expected to shape the two-day meeting of the 11-member grouping.

The visit is Xi’s first to India since 2019 and is being closely watched as a sign of cautious improvement in ties between Asia’s two biggest rivals. The countries suffered a deadly border clash in 2020, and while relations have slowly warmed through resumed flights, visas and official contacts, their long-running territorial dispute and heavy troop presence along the Himalayan frontier remain unresolved.

Al Jazeera said Xi is set to meet Modi face to face during the summit. Beijing said it was ready to work with India by improving communication and cooperation and by managing disagreements. Analysts quoted by AFP said both sides appear to want progress on the border issue, but mistrust, trade imbalance and strategic rivalry still complicate the relationship.

The summit also highlights India’s balancing act as it works with Russia and Iran while managing tensions with the United States and other Western governments. BRICS was established in 2009 as a forum for major emerging economies seeking a larger role in global decision-making.