Chinese President Xi Jinping was given a ceremonial welcome in India as Beijing and Delhi publicly showcased improving relations ahead of the BRICS summit, while quietly competing for influence amid shifting US global leadership.
When Xi stepped off his plane, he passed an honour guard of Indian soldiers and was greeted by traditional dancers in colourful attire. Later on Saturday, he was scheduled to attend a gala dinner marking the opening night of the two-day summit.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had already been welcomed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is hosting one of the group’s most closely watched gatherings since its creation.
The summit marks Xi’s first visit to India in seven years and represents a significant step toward reconciliation following a deadly 2020 military clash along the disputed Himalayan border, which killed 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers.
Relations between the nuclear-armed Asian powers have recently improved, with flights and high-level contacts gradually being restored. China’s foreign ministry said on Friday that Beijing was willing to work with India to manage their differences and remain “good neighbours and friends”.
Leaders and diplomats have gathered in India for BRICS’ annual meeting. The grouping was founded by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa as a counterweight to Western dominance.
Wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, together with mounting US-China tensions, are testing the bloc’s ability to reach a common position.
Since its establishment in 2009, BRICS has grown into a forum for major emerging economies, adding Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. It now rivals the US-led Group of Seven and accounts for roughly half of the world’s population.
That expansion has also introduced new divisions. Iranian attacks on Saudi Arabia and the UAE earlier this year exposed deep tensions within the group, and its foreign ministers failed to agree on a joint statement during their May meeting in Delhi.
On Saturday, members unanimously approved the wording of a joint declaration reaffirming their commitment to resolving international disputes peacefully “through dialogue, consultation and diplomacy”.
The “New Delhi Declaration” called for “maximum restraint” in the Middle East but was deliberately worded not to identify member countries involved in active conflicts.
Jiang Shixue, vice-president of the expert committee at the China think tank Council for BRICs Cooperation, said the 11 members “cannot speak with one voice on many issues”.
“The only solution is to continuously strengthen political consensus,” he told the South China Morning Post.
Beijing and Delhi hold different views on the role BRICS should play.
China has sought to expand the bloc’s influence as a counterweight to the United States under Donald Trump, whose administration has pursued global tariffs and trade conflicts and withdrawn from multilateral institutions that once helped bolster its international standing.
India has taken a more cautious approach, viewing BRICS as a bridge between the West and the developing world.
Chietigj Bajpaee, a senior research fellow for South Asia in Chatham House’s Asia-Pacific programme, said Delhi had found it difficult to maintain its policy of “strategic hedging” under such a disruptive US presidency.
“India’s position can appear out of sync in a forum whose membership includes countries with more overtly anti-Western agendas, including China, Russia and Iran. South Africa and Brazil, two other BRICS members, have also experienced high-profile diplomatic disputes with the US,” he wrote.
“The challenge for Delhi is that it wishes to promote this worldview in a way that is non-Western but not explicitly anti-Western.”