The prospect of Chinese President Xi Jinping travelling to New Delhi for the BRICS Summit in September is generating attention. Beijing has not yet formally confirmed Xi's participation, but multiple reports indicate that preparations are underway and that the visit is likely. If it materialises, Xi's trip will mark his first visit to India in nearly seven years and will produce a third meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi since the two sides began rebuilding political engagement after the prolonged freeze that followed the 2020 border crisis.
At one level, it would be another step in the slow normalisation of ties between Asia's two largest powers. At another, it would send a wider geopolitical message about how India is positioning itself in a world increasingly shaped by trade wars, great-power competition and uncertainty about American priorities.
