Xi Jinping attends BRICS summit in India

Chinese President Xi Jinping has traveled to New Delhi to attend the 18th BRICS summit at the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The two-day meeting of the 11-nation bloc is expected to be dominated by the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, global trade turbulence, and energy security.

Xi's entourage includes Foreign Minister Wang Yi and senior Chinese Communist Party official Cai Qi. This visit marks his first trip to India since 2019 and is seen as the most significant step yet in a cautious thaw between the two nuclear-armed rivals.

Underlying tensions and diplomatic talks

The summit takes place six years after a deadly military clash along their disputed Tibetan border in 2020. While ties have gradually improved through restored flights, visas, and high-level contacts, the underlying territorial dispute remains unresolved. Both sides maintain heavy military deployments along their roughly 3,500-kilometer high-altitude border.

Beijing stated on Friday that it was ready to work with India by strengthening communication, enhancing cooperation, and properly handling differences. Xi is scheduled to hold face-to-face talks with Modi on Saturday.

Pradeep Taneja, a China-India expert at the University of Melbourne, told reporters that the leaders are looking for an 'early and substantial harvest' on the border issue. He noted the contradiction of having a military buildup on the border while advocating for continued people-to-people and economic relations. Deep mistrust persists, complicated by the contested Himalayan frontier, a widening trade deficit, and strategic rivalry.

Protests and other arrivals

Ahead of the summit, dozens of Tibetans living in exile, including supporters of their spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, protested in New Delhi on Friday, waving placards against Xi's visit.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also arrived in the Indian capital on Friday for the summit. Putin held talks with Modi, with both agreeing to further strengthen the 'special' relationship between their countries.

During his meeting with Iran's President Pezeshkian, Modi showed the need to protect freedom of navigation and commerce, as well as the safety and wellbeing of ships' crews. India has handled the energy crisis stemming from the United States-Iran war partly by turning to Russia, despite Moscow's war in Ukraine and pressure from Washington and other Western capitals.

The BRICS context and global divisions

BRICS was created in 2009 as a forum for major emerging economies seeking greater influence in global institutions traditionally dominated by Western powers. The summit brings together leaders from its 11 member nations at a time of significant international conflict and economic uncertainty.

The gathering highlights how global divisions are testing the bloc's cohesion. The wars and trade issues on the agenda show the complex challenges facing these emerging powers as they attempt to coordinate policy and assert their collective voice on the world stage.