BRICS Summit: China Sought Visas For Xi Jinping’s 67-Member Delegation On August 27

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to India for the BRICS summit was formally announced only on Thursday, but China had sought visas for the president’s delegation from the Indian embassy in Beijing on August 27, according to a report published by The Times Of India.

Xi will travel to New Delhi on September 12-13 for the 18th BRICS Summit, which is being hosted by India.

The visit will mark his first trip to the country in nearly seven years and comes as New Delhi and Beijing seek to consolidate a thaw in relations following the 2020 Galwan clashes.

Xi To Attend BRICS Summit With 67-Member Delegation

According to The Times Of India, Xi will be accompanied by a 67-member official delegation. Among those travelling with him will be Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party

of China’s Politburo and one of Xi’s closest aides, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

A separate Chinese business delegation is also expected to travel to India.

Also Read: Xi Jinping To Attend BRICS Summit In Delhi, First India Visit Since 2020 Galwan Clashes

Xi’s stay in India will be tightly scheduled, lasting about 24 hours. He is expected to land at 12:10 pm on Saturday and leave for China at 12:20 pm on Sunday.

He will reach Bharat Mandapam at around 2 pm on Saturday, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to welcome him along with other BRICS leaders.

PM Modi-Xi’s Bilateral Meeting

Modi and Xi are also scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting on Saturday evening at 5:45 pm.

The timing of Beijing’s public announcement of Xi’s India visit had triggered speculation over whether there had been uncertainty surrounding the trip.

However, as per TOI, the Chinese side had already formally communicated the president’s participation to India.

The August 27 request to the Indian embassy in Beijing for visas for Xi’s delegation indicates that preparations for the visit had been underway well before the announcement.

Trade, Border Issues Likely On PM Modi-Xi agenda

Xi’s visit comes against the backdrop of efforts by both countries to build on the improvement in ties since PM Modi and Xi met on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan in October 2024.

The Kazan meeting followed years of military confrontation in eastern Ladakh and was seen as a significant step towards restoring diplomatic engagement.

The two leaders agreed to revive high-level interactions and tasked their Special Representatives with overseeing peace and tranquillity along the border while working towards a resolution of the boundary question.

During his meeting with Xi, PM Modi is expected to press for greater market access for Indian businesses and more reliable supply chains as the two sides seek to expand economic engagement, according to The Times Of India.

The border question is also likely to remain an important element of the broader relationship. India has consistently maintained that peace and tranquillity along the frontier are essential for sustained progress in ties with China.

Xi’s First India Visit Since 2019

Xi’s upcoming trip will be his first visit to India since 2019, when he travelled to Mamallapuram near Chennai for an informal summit with PM Modi.

This also marks his visit to India in seven years, after the bilateral ties of the two countries took a hit due to the 2020 Galwan Valley border clashes.

He had previously visited India in 2016 for the BRICS summit in Goa and made his first trip to the country in September 2014, during the first terms of both leaders.

PM Modi also travelled to China last year for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin, where he met Xi for bilateral talks. The meeting further reflected the gradual improvement in relations, with the two sides projecting India and China as partners rather than rivals.

Xi’s presence in New Delhi is significant for China beyond the bilateral relationship as well. Beijing is set to take over the BRICS chairmanship next year after India, giving the Chinese president an opportunity to engage with the grouping’s members ahead of China’s tenure.