00:00Hello and a very warm welcome to an India Today special broadcast. I'm Gaurav Savanth.
00:05The stage is set for the 18th BRICS Summit in the National Capital.
00:10Heads of state and governments of countries that represent almost 50% of global population,
00:1643% of global oil production, 40% of global GDP and 26% of global trade
00:22will be in the National Capital for the 18th BRICS Summit.
00:26All eyes also on a series of very important bilateral meetings
00:32between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several heads of state and government.
00:38One key focus area will also be the Chinese President Xi Jinping.
00:43The Chinese Foreign Office has confirmed Chinese President Xi Jinping
00:47will be coming to India for the 18th BRICS Summit.
00:50This incidentally will be his first visit to India
00:54after the 2019 Mammalapuram engagement and also the 2020 Galwan clashes.
01:01Now, India and China relationship once again went into deep freeze
01:07after tensions along the 3,500 km long line of actual control.
01:12But then there was some forward movement
01:16when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Chinese President
01:19met in Kazan, Russia and then again in Tianjin in China
01:24and more recently at Bishkek.
01:27In fact, a picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
01:31the Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Chinese President Xi Jinping
01:34went viral not just at Tianjin but also at Bishkek.
01:38The three will also be together in New Delhi.
01:41Will there be a thaw in bilateral ties?
01:45Will the relationship move forward?
01:47Do Russia, India and China represent something in times to come?
01:51There are many questions
01:53but then it all depends on peace and tranquility
01:57along the line of actual control.
01:59We get you more in this report.
02:08The elephant and the dragon could be ready to dance again
02:11just days after hugs and handshakes at the SCS summit in Bishkek.
02:15Chinese President Xi Jinping is coming to India
02:17for the 18th BRICS summit on September 12th and 13th
02:21accepting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's invitation.
02:24And all eyes are on the possibility
02:25of a Modi-shi bilateral meeting on the sidelines.
02:31Xi is returning to India after seven years.
02:34His last visit was for the Mamalapuram informal summit in 2019.
02:38And this will be his first since the Galwan clash
02:41put a dent to Delhi waging ties.
02:44Over the last two years,
02:46India and China have slowly tried to put the relationship back on track.
02:50Modi and Xi held their first formal bilateral in nearly five years
02:54in Kazan in 2024 and followed it up with a meeting in Tianjin in 2025.
03:00And now, New Delhi is the stage.
03:03So what issues are likely to dominate the agenda?
03:07Peace and stability along the LSE,
03:10movement on the boundary question
03:11and further de-escalation and better border management.
03:15India's huge trade deficit with China,
03:17Chinese curbs on high-tech exports,
03:19investment and market access barriers could all be in focus.
03:23Visas, people-to-people exchanges,
03:26connectivity and direct flights
03:27are also areas where the two countries
03:29have been trying to rebuild ties.
03:31And with both leaders meeting at BRICS,
03:33cooperation in global trade and the grouping itself
03:36could also be a part of the conversation.
03:38But the timing of Xi's visit is equally significant.
03:42National Security Advisor Raji Tohwal
03:43travelled to China for talks with Foreign Minister Wang Yi in August.
03:46The focus, managing differences
03:49and taking the boundary dialogue forward.
03:52India and China also held two rounds
03:54of core commander-level talks in the eastern sector
03:56in the first week of September.
03:59These were the first core commander-level meetings
04:01in the eastern sector,
04:02a mechanism that had originally been established
04:04in the western sector after the 2020 Galwan clash.
04:08So dialogue is clearly gathering pace.
04:11But a thought does not mean
04:12the sticking points have disappeared.
04:14The biggest remains the outstanding boundary dispute
04:17and a military trust deficit.
04:19Then there's China's claim over Arunachal Pradesh
04:21and India's concerns over Beijing's deep strategic
04:24and military partnership with Pakistan.
04:27Trade between the two countries may be enormous,
04:29but so is India's trade deficit,
04:31while restrictions around Chinese investment
04:33and technology remain.
04:34There are concerns over China's mega-damp project
04:37on the Yarlung Sanquo,
04:38which flows into India as the Brahmaputra.
04:40And beyond the Himalayas,
04:42India and China continue to compete
04:44for strategic influence across the Indo-Pacific.
04:47Seven years later,
04:48the elephant and the dragon
04:49are sharing the same stage again in India.
04:52The handshake may signal a thaw,
04:54but can it deliver a lasting reset?
04:57Bureau Report, India Today.
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