Modi, Xi to meet at BRICS as India-China ties thaw — SkimNews
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- India and China will hold Modi-Xi talks on Sept 12 on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in New Delhi, marking Xi's first visit to India in seven years.
- The 2020 Galwan Valley clash in Indian-administered Ladakh killed at least 20 Indian and 4 Chinese soldiers — the first deadly military confrontation between the nuclear-armed neighbors since 1975, fought over a roughly 3,800km largely undemarcated Himalayan border.
- Post-clash, India increased scrutiny of Chinese investments, widened business visa vetting, banned popular Chinese apps, and severed direct passenger air links; Beijing said consensus had been seriously violated and tightened curbs on journalists and businesspeople.
- Both nations reached a disengagement pact in October 2024, pulling back troops from five confrontation locations and restoring 2020 positions at the remaining two sites by December 2024.
- China became India's largest import source in fiscal year 2025/26 at US$131.6 billion (S$167 billion), including more than 100 products deemed critical to Indian factories; New Delhi has resumed direct flights and eased curbs on Chinese equipment purchases.
- Remaining flashpoints include the territorial dispute over Arunachal Pradesh (which Beijing calls Zangnan and claims as southern Tibet), China's supply of fighter jets and missiles to Pakistan during their 2024 conflict, persistent visa delays for Chinese businesspeople, and New Delhi's national-security vetting of Chinese investment in finance, defense, and telecom.
- Despite the diplomatic thaw, both armies continue to maintain substantial military deployments along the frontier.
Why it matters: For New Delhi, the diplomatic thaw unlocks access to more than 100 Chinese-made products critical to Indian factories, with US$131.6 billion in imports making China India's single largest source — but India is drawing the line at Chinese investment in finance, defense, and telecom rather than letting normalization extend into sectors it deems security-sensitive.
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