BRICS Summit in New Delhi: The grand finale is India's moment to navigate a bigger, and more divided bloc

President Xi Jinping will embark on his first visit to India in nearly seven years to attend the Brics summit this weekend, according to China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Chinese leader's trip to New Delhi has been confirmed following a packed diplomatic travel schedule that included visits to Kyrgyzstan for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit and Egypt for his first state visit in over a decade.

Xi's India visit will also precede a trip to Washington later in the month to meet US President Donald Trump. Other leaders attending the summit in Delhi include Russian President Vladimir Putin, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The visit comes as China and India work to improve relations that have soured following a deadly border clash in 2020, which led to a years-long military standoff.

Despite the tensions, both countries have taken steps to strengthen ties, including resuming direct flights last October and restarting border trade last month. They also held boundary talks in Beijing in August, with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi describing the two countries as important neighbors and emphasizing the development of China-India ties as serving the interests of both nations and the Global South.

Xi's trip underscores Beijing's growing emphasis on developing ties with its neighbors and emerging economies, with Brics often seen as a platform for China to advance its ambitions for a multipolar world and solidify its leadership role in the Global South.