Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in New Delhi on Saturday for a major Brics summit, bringing together leaders from India, Russia, Iran and other emerging economies at a time when the world is facing deepening conflict, energy insecurity and economic uncertainty.
The two-day gathering of the 11-nation bloc comes as wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, global trade tensions and energy challenges place pressure on countries to find common ground. But beyond the international agenda, Xi’s visit carries a much more personal and strategic significance. It marks his first trip to neighbouring India since 2019 and represents the most visible sign yet of a cautious improvement in relations between the two nuclear-armed countries.
Xi received a red-carpet welcome in New Delhi, including an honour guard of soldiers and traditional dancers dressed in colourful attire. His arrival comes years after relations between Beijing and New Delhi were badly damaged by a deadly military clash in 2020 along their disputed Himalayan border.
Since then, both countries have taken gradual steps toward rebuilding communication. Restored flights, visa arrangements and high-level diplomatic contacts have helped create space for dialogue. However, the relationship remains fragile, with major disagreements still unresolved.
China said on Friday that it was ready to work with India by strengthening communication, expanding cooperation and properly managing differences. The statement reflects a desire for stability, but it also highlights the reality that the two countries must navigate serious disagreements before trust can fully return.
The border dispute remains one of the biggest challenges. India and China continue to maintain substantial military deployments along their approximately 3,500-kilometre high-altitude border near Tibet. Despite efforts to improve relations, the territorial question remains unsettled, while trade imbalances and strategic competition continue to create tension.
Xi was expected to hold face-to-face talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi later on Saturday. Observers were watching closely to see whether the meeting would produce meaningful progress, particularly on the border issue.
China-India expert Pradeep Taneja of the University of Melbourne said both sides were looking for an “early and substantial harvest” in border discussions. His comments underline the difficult balance facing the two governments: improving economic and people-to-people relations while maintaining military pressure and strategic caution along a contested frontier.
For India, the summit is also an opportunity to manage its complicated relationships with other major powers. Prime Minister Modi embraced Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday ahead of talks, reflecting the longstanding strategic partnership between New Delhi and Moscow.
Russia remains an important source of energy and a major strategic partner for India. As the global energy crisis intensifies, India has continued to navigate its energy needs while maintaining relationships with Russia, Iran, Israel and the United States. These diplomatic connections are becoming increasingly important as geopolitical tensions affect trade, energy supplies and national security.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who was also in New Delhi, warned that pressure on Iran had reached a critical and dangerous stage following what he described as military aggression by the United States and Israel. Modi and Pezeshkian also held talks, highlighting India’s effort to maintain dialogue across competing regional interests.
India’s position is particularly delicate. It maintains relations with Iran and Israel while also seeking strong ties with Washington. In a world increasingly divided by conflict and competing alliances, New Delhi must protect its economic and strategic interests without allowing any single relationship to dictate its foreign policy.
Brics Expansion Brings New Opportunities and New Divisions
Established in 2009, Brics was created as a platform for major emerging economies seeking greater influence in international institutions traditionally dominated by Western powers.
Today, the group represents a significant share of the world’s population, economic output and global trade. Prime Minister Modi told leaders that Brics countries account for approximately 50 per cent of the world’s population, 40 per cent of global GDP and more than 25 per cent of global trade.
But the group’s growing influence also comes with a difficult challenge: its members do not always agree on the world’s biggest political and security issues.
Brics includes countries such as Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, whose positions and interests can differ sharply on the conflict involving the United States and Israel. Egypt is also represented, while Brazil is attending through its foreign minister, Mauro Vieira.
The diversity of the bloc was once seen as one of its greatest strengths. It brings together countries with different political systems, economic priorities and diplomatic relationships. Yet that same diversity can make it harder to agree on a unified response to international crises.
Brics foreign ministers failed to reach agreement on a joint statement during their meeting in New Delhi in May. That earlier difficulty raised questions about whether the leaders would be able to present a united position during the summit.
Harsh V. Pant of India’s Observer Research Foundation described the Gulf conflict as a central dividing line for the meeting. He also suggested that what was previously considered an achievement, the expansion of Brics, could now become a major constraint on the group’s ability to act collectively.
The World Is Watching What Happens Next
The arrival of Xi Jinping in India is about more than a diplomatic ceremony. It is a moment that brings together several of the biggest challenges facing the international community: territorial disputes, wars, energy security, trade competition and the search for a more balanced global order.
For India and China, the question is whether their cautious rapprochement can develop into meaningful and lasting cooperation. For Brics, the challenge is whether a group of increasingly influential but politically diverse nations can find enough common ground to respond to global crises.
The summit also reminds us that diplomacy is rarely about solving every problem in one meeting. Sometimes, progress begins with reopening communication, listening to difficult positions and choosing dialogue over further confrontation.
In a world where conflict can affect the price of energy, the strength of economies and the future of millions of families, the importance of responsible leadership has never been greater. The real success of this summit will not be measured only by handshakes or official statements, but by whether the leaders can turn their discussions into steps that make the world safer, more stable and more hopeful.
