On August 28, at the end of the 25th round of special representative level talks between India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing, both sides separately issued an eight-point list of outcomes and consensus that promises to advance the future dialogue on the vexed boundary issue. Regardless of ultimate resolution, the outcome laid the groundwork for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s anticipated visit to New Delhi to attend the 18th BRICS summit on September 12 and 13.
India is currently the BRICS chair. Although still unconfirmed, this would be Xi’s first visit to India in seven years. He and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are expected to hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the summit to add momentum to their continued effort to rebuild the frayed China-India ties.
Both leaders attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Bishkek, August 31 to September 1. However, no bilateral exchanges were held, barring a handshake between the two that lasted few seconds. New Delhi prefers the venue for a high-profile meeting to be inside the country, not at a foreign location or for mere optics.
Russian President Vladimir Putin also attended the SCO summit in Bishkek and will also travel to New Delhi for the BRICS summit later in September. Bishkek was the venue for an official Modi-Putin meeting on August 31, where both leaders discussed various key aspects of bilateral ties, including cooperation in areas of trade and investment, energy, and defense. Modi reportedly offered Putin India’s mediation assistance in ending the war with Ukraine. They also shared a car to travel to the opening ceremony for the World Nomad Games, currently underway in Kyrgyzstan. Notably, Putin met Xi for a bilateral meeting in Bishkek also.
