Modi-Xi Bilateral Meeting Scheduled on Sidelines of BRICS Summit in New Delhi

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting in New Delhi on Saturday on the sidelines of the BRICS summit.

The meeting will be the first formal meeting between the two leaders in India since the 2020 Galwan clash, while President Xi Jinping is visiting India after nearly seven years.

During the meeting, the two leaders are expected to discuss a range of issues, including the Line of Actual Control (LAC), border peace, trade, investment, market access, civil aviation, visa facilities and overall bilateral relations.

The most important issue will be maintaining peace and stability along the LAC, including in eastern Ladakh.

New Delhi and Beijing are now focusing on further reducing border tensions, strengthening military communication and making the existing diplomatic and military mechanisms more effective to prevent any new misunderstanding or confrontation along the border.

The issue of taking forward negotiations for a long-term solution to the border dispute on the basis of the 2005 political guiding principles and previous understandings will also be important. The possibilities of early and tangible progress in less-contested border areas are also expected to be discussed.

Maintaining peace and tranquillity in border areas, continuing negotiations for a fair and mutually acceptable solution to the boundary issue, establishing an experts’ group for boundary delimitation and a working group for border management are also on the agenda.

The proposed groups will be tasked with examining possibilities for early and tangible progress in less-contested areas, while their scope and modalities are expected to be finalised in the first phase.

Significant progress is expected on resolving situations arising along the border through existing diplomatic and military communication channels, avoiding misunderstandings and further improving military contacts.

The meeting is also expected to see progress on a proposal to establish two new meeting points for meetings of senior military commanders and two new military hotlines in the eastern and central sectors.

The flag meeting at the level of senior military commanders in the eastern sector scheduled for September is being described as practical progress under the new communication system. The primary objective of the system is to immediately control any unpleasant situation along the border through communication and prevent escalation.

Economic relations will also be an important subject during the Modi-Xi meeting. Trade between the two countries has increased significantly, but the trade imbalance remains a continuing concern for India.

India is expected to discuss market access for Chinese products, imports of high-tech goods, possible relaxation of restrictions on Chinese investment and business visa facilities.

China may emphasise greater opportunities for Indian businesses and investors, reducing obstacles to trade links and increasing economic cooperation between the two countries.

The full restoration of direct civil flights between the two countries will also be an important part of the discussions. An increase in tourism, religious exchanges and people-to-people exchanges is also expected to be discussed.

Improved facilities for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and the restoration of certain routes and trading markets related to border trade are being viewed as confidence-building measures between the two countries.

Continued expert-level contacts and the exchange of hydrological data on transboundary rivers will also remain among the important areas of cooperation between the two countries.

The meeting will also review implementation of the understandings reached during discussions between Modi and Xi Jinping in Kazan in 2024 and Tianjin in 2025.

Overall, the meeting holds exceptional significance for efforts to reduce border tensions, stabilise military communication, revive economic relations and gradually normalise India-China relations.