India-China Set For Bilateral Talks At BRICS Summit

Summary

Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to visit India for the BRICS summit, his first trip to India since 2019, as India-China relations show gradual normalization on border issues. Observer Research Foundation's Antara Ghosal Singh says border talks have produced new guardrails and hotlines, but business and technology ties remain difficult because China is using India's dependence as leverage. She also notes BRICS consensus is harder with an expanded membership and that India and China are competing for Russian crude oil.

• Xi Jinping's planned India visit for the BRICS summit is his first since 2019.
• India-China border talks have yielded an eight-point consensus, new hotlines, and guardrails.
• Business ties remain strained as China reportedly restricts critical technology and equipment exports to India.
• BRICS expansion, including Iran and UAE, complicates reaching a joint statement.
• India's Russian crude imports fell in August 2026 amid stronger Chinese competition.
• India describes its foreign policy as multi-alignment while preserving strategic autonomy.