It's official: Xi Jinping will attend BRICS Summit in New Delhi

Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi from September 12 to 13, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed on Thursday.

This comes as efforts are underway to stabilise ties between the two Asian powers.

The visit will be Xi's first to India in nearly seven years. He last travelled to the country in 2019 for an informal summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Mamallapuram near Chennai.

Don't Miss: BRICS Summit 2026: PM Modi, Xi Jinping expected to hold first bilateral after six years

Xi had earlier visited India in 2016 to attend the BRICS summit in Goa. His first visit came in September 2014, during the first terms of both leaders in office, when he held extensive talks with Modi.

Last month, Reuters reported that Xi is likely to be accompanied by a delegation of about 400 officials, compared with fewer than 200 officials the last time in 2019.

The report also said that officials from both countries are expected to use the summit to explore ​ways to expand engagement while managing long-standing differences over the border and regional security issues.

Must Watch: BRICS Summit: Is The Bloc Helping India Or Giving China The Upper Hand?

Last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited China for the first time ​in seven years.

The bilateral relations between India and China had plunged after a border clash in Ladakh in 2020.

However, in the last few years, efforts were made by both sides to improve relations.

The last high-profile visit by any Indian official to China was NSA Ajit Doval. The NSA visited Beijing on 24-25 August at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

"Both sides expressed satisfaction at the steady resumption of people-to-people and cross-border exchanges, including the ongoing Kailash Manasarovar Yatra and Border Trade through the three designated border trading passes," the MEA said after the visit.

India and China share ​a roughly 3,800-km (2,400-mile) border.