Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in New Delhi on Saturday for a Brics summit alongside leaders from India, Russia and Iran as wars, trade and energy test the divided grouping. The conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, along with global trade turbulence and energy security, will dominate the two-day meeting of the 11-nation bloc. But Xi's visit is also being closely watched as his first to neighbouring India since 2019, and the biggest step yet in a cautious thaw between the nuclear-armed rivals.

Xi was given a red-carpet welcome, with a guard of honour and traditional dancers in colourful dresses. His arrival comes six years after a deadly 2020 military clash along their disputed Tibetan border, with ties gradually improving through restored flights, visas and high-level contacts. Beijing said on Friday it was 'ready to work with India... by strengthening communication, enhancing cooperation, and properly handling differences'.

The underlying territorial dispute remains unresolved, and both sides retain heavy military deployments along their roughly 3,500-kilometre (2,175-mile) high-altitude border along Tibet. Xi is due to hold face-to-face talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi later on Saturday, according to New Delhi's foreign ministry.

Deep mistrust remains, with their contested Himalayan frontier, a widening trade deficit, and strategic rivalry still complicating ties. Modi embraced Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday before talks. Putin, who last visited India in December 2025, is one of New Delhi's most important strategic partners.