Archive · 12 Sep 2026
Xi’s BRICS Visit Tests China-India Ties and Grouping
China’s leader, Xi Jinping, is going to India for a BRICS meeting.
China and India have had a serious disagreement over their shared border since 2020.
Soldiers from both countries faced each other, and people were killed in clashes.
Talks later helped some troops move away from the border.
The two countries have also restarted some travel and business links.
They now share concerns about United States tariffs, rising energy prices and wars.
However, India and China still do not fully trust each other.
The meeting will show whether they can work together in BRICS while keeping their different views about the West.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is visiting India for the BRICS leaders’ summit, his first visit there in seven years.
The 2020 eastern Ladakh border standoff severely damaged China-India relations and left about 50,000 Indian troops deployed along the Line of Actual Control.
Troop disengagement began in 2024, followed by steps including restored direct flights, eased visa restrictions and the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.
India and China share concerns about United States tariffs and the economic effects of conflict in West Asia, despite continuing strategic mistrust.
The summit will test whether India and China can cooperate on shared Global South concerns while disagreeing over BRICS’s relationship with the West.
- Who
- Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian leaders and other leaders from the BRICS grouping.
- What
- A BRICS leaders’ summit that also provides an opportunity to address China-India relations.
- When
- Xi Jinping is arriving on Saturday; the summit is taking place over the weekend.
- Where
- India.
- Why
- The summit is occurring amid shared concerns about tariffs, conflict and economic pressures, while China and India seek to manage tensions left by their border standoff.
India’s balancing approach
China and Russia’s stronger BRICS framing
BRICS’s relationship with the West
India’s balancing approach
India views BRICS as non-Western rather than anti-Western and continues seeking capital, technology and partnerships with the United States and other Western countries.
China and Russia’s stronger BRICS framing
China and Russia have attempted to frame BRICS as an anti-Western grouping.
China’s role in BRICS
India’s balancing approach
India is concerned that Beijing treats China as the first among equals and wants the grouping to address shared concerns without becoming dominated by one power.
China and Russia’s stronger BRICS framing
China has supported expanding BRICS membership, including the 2023 expansion, and has promoted a larger role for the grouping.
Prospects for bilateral cooperation
India’s balancing approach
India sees shared concerns over tariffs, energy security and global conflicts as a possible basis for cooperation, but says substantial mistrust and structural differences remain.
China and Russia’s stronger BRICS framing
China’s participation and Xi Jinping’s visit are viewed as positive signals that could help stabilize ties and produce greater cooperation within BRICS.
- BRICS origins
- The grouping began as BRIC after the term was coined for Brazil, Russia, India and China in 2001; South Africa later joined.
- Current BRICS size
- Leaders of more than 30 countries and groupings are attending the summit, while the expanded BRICS grouping has 11 members.
- Border standoff
- The eastern Ladakh standoff began in 2020 and is described as having entered its seventh year.
- 2020 casualties
- Twenty Indian defence personnel and at least four Chinese defence personnel were killed in the June 2020 clashes.
- Troop deployment
- About 50,000 Indian troops remain deployed along the Line of Actual Control, according to the article.
- Steps toward stabilisation
- Measures have included 2024 troop disengagement, renewed direct flights, eased visa restrictions, the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and relaxed restrictions on Chinese investments.
- Main economic dispute
- India continues to raise concerns about its large trade deficit with China and limited market access for Indian businesses.