Xi Jinping arrives in India for BRICS Summit, Modi talks

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in New Delhi on Saturday for the 18th BRICS Summit, marking his first visit to India in nearly seven years. The trip is widely viewed as a critical test of a cautious diplomatic thaw between the two Asian powers following years of tension, particularly after the deadly 2020 border clash in eastern Ladakh. Xi is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the summit. The discussions are expected to cover the unresolved boundary dispute, measures to stabilize the Line of Actual Control, and ways to expand trade and investment. The meeting follows a series of high-level engagements aimed at normalizing relations, including talks between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on August 25, where they reached an eight-point consensus on boundary issues. This visit comes after a prolonged freeze in relations that began with the 2020 military confrontation, which killed 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers.