Bilateral ties between India and China dived after a border standoff began in April-May 2020. The process of stabilisation of ties began after Modi and Xi met on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia in October 2024. That was when the two sides decided to complete disengagement of troops at the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh.

In the last year-and-half, India and China have made significant progress in stabilising relations with direct flights, resumption of visas, easing of curbs on Chinese firms and the revival of the pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar.

However, more than 50,000 troops remain deployed along the LAC and the process of de-escalation and de-induction of troops have not yet taken place.

Barring any unforeseen developments, participation at the highest level has been conveyed to New Delhi. The venue has not yet been announced, but the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, sources said, is to be the likely choice of place for the summit.

Sources said the meeting of BRICS Foreign Ministers in New Delhi last week discussed the agenda for the summit of the leaders, and there was agreement on a range of issues for discussion.

While Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov participated in the meeting, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi could not attend since he had to be in Beijing for the high-stakes meeting between Xi and US President Donald Trump. China’s Ambassador to India, Xu Feihong, attended the meeting on Wang’s behalf.

Sources said the Indian government is also keen that the BRICS countries, which have been divided on the issue of the war in West Asia, should find common ground by the time the summit takes place.

With no consensus at the BRICS meeting last week on the diplomatic language for the West Asia war, India issued a chair statement, trying to balance the divergence between Iran and UAE, both members of the grouping.

Shubhajit Roy, Diplomatic Editor at The Indian Express, has been a journalist for more than 25 years now. Roy joined The Indian Express in October 2003 and has been reporting on foreign affairs for more than 17 years now. Based in Delhi, he has also led the National government and political bureau at The Indian Express in Delhi — a team of reporters who cover the national government and politics for the newspaper. He has got the Ramnath Goenka Journalism award for Excellence in Journalism ‘2016. He got this award for his coverage of the Holey Bakery attack in Dhaka and its aftermath. He also got the IIMCAA Award for the Journalist of the Year, 2022, (Jury’s special mention) for his coverage of the fall of Kabul in August 2021 — he was one of the few Indian journalists in Kabul and the only mainstream newspaper to have covered the Taliban’s capture of power in mid-August, 2021. ... Read More

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