Key facts
- Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Saturday during the BRICS summit.
- Xi's visit to India is his first since 2019.
- Indian and Chinese troops engaged in a deadly military confrontation in the Galwan Valley in 2020.
- At least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers were killed in the 2020 Galwan Valley fighting.
- India and China reached a disengagement pact in October 2024, pulling back troops from five locations.
- Modi emphasized to Putin that dialogue and diplomacy are key to resolving conflicts.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is traveling to India for a BRICS summit, where he is scheduled to meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday. This marks Xi's first visit to India since 2019 and comes amid efforts to stabilize relations following a deadly border clash in 2020.
In 2020, Indian and Chinese troops engaged in hand-to-hand combat in the Galwan Valley in the western Himalayas, resulting in the deaths of at least 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese soldiers. This was the first deadly military confrontation between the two nuclear-armed neighbors since 1975. Following the clash, India increased scrutiny of Chinese investments, banned Chinese mobile apps, and severed direct passenger air links, while Beijing tightened curbs on people-to-people exchanges.
The two countries reached a disengagement pact in October 2024, leading to troop withdrawals from five face-off locations. By December 2024, troops had also pulled back from the remaining two contested areas. Trade and business ties have since improved, with India resuming direct flights to China and easing curbs on Chinese equipment purchases. China was India's largest source of imports in fiscal year 2025/26, valued at $132 billion.
Despite these improvements, substantial military deployments continue along the frontier. Territorial disputes persist, particularly over India's northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing claims as Zangnan. China's role in India's military conflict with Pakistan last year, where Pakistan used Chinese-made weaponry, has also complicated ties. Trade relations remain fragile due to visa delays and procurement bottlenecks for critical components.
Ahead of the BRICS summit, Modi also met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. During their discussions on trade, energy, and defense, Modi conveyed that "dialogue and diplomacy remain the way forward in resolving conflicts, and India stands ready to assist in peace efforts," according to India's Foreign Ministry.