Xi courts Modi at BRICS summit, urges bloc's Middle East peace role

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in India for the BRICS summit carrying a deliberate message: that the world's largest bloc of developing economies should position itself as a force for peace in the Middle East. But the real diplomatic work was happening in the margins, where Xi and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi were attempting something more delicate—a reset of their own fractured relationship, one that has been strained by border tensions and geopolitical competition for years.

The summit itself provided the stage. Xi received a formal reception befitting a state visit, the ceremonial acknowledgment of his presence at Modi's invitation. Yet the more significant moment came when the two leaders engaged directly, seeking to rebuild trust that had eroded through years of military standoffs and strategic rivalry. Modi made clear that any improvement in the bilateral relationship hinged on one condition: peace along their shared border. It was a statement of both aspiration and precondition—a signal that India would not move forward without addressing the fundamental source of tension between them.

Xi's push for BRICS to take on a larger role in Middle East diplomacy reflected China's broader strategic interests. The bloc—comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—represents a counterweight to Western-dominated institutions. By positioning BRICS as a peacemaker in one of the world's most volatile regions, Xi was proposing that the organization could offer an alternative diplomatic channel, one less bound by the Cold War alignments that have historically shaped Middle East policy. This framing also served China's own interests in maintaining stable energy supplies and preventing regional conflicts from disrupting global markets.

The timing of these overtures was significant. India and China have been locked in a military standoff along their Himalayan border since 2020, when clashes in Ladakh killed soldiers on both sides and shattered the facade of peaceful coexistence that had held since the 1960s. The relationship has remained tense, with periodic flare-ups and no clear resolution. For Modi, accepting Xi's courtship at the BRICS summit meant signaling that India was willing to explore de-escalation, even as it maintained its guard. For Xi, the engagement represented an attempt to prevent India from drifting further into alignment with the United States and its allies—a strategic concern as Washington has deepened its own partnerships with New Delhi.

The diplomatic choreography was precise. Xi's attendance at Modi's dinner on the first day of the summit—or notably, his absence from it—became a subject of analysis, each detail parsed for meaning about the state of their relationship. These moments matter in high-level diplomacy because they are read as signals. A seat at the table, a shared meal, a bilateral meeting—each carries weight beyond the immediate event.

What remained unclear was whether this diplomatic thaw would translate into concrete agreements or lasting change. Border disputes do not dissolve through summit pleasantries. The structural tensions that have driven India-China competition—territorial claims, competing regional influence, divergent strategic partnerships—remained unresolved. Yet the willingness of both leaders to engage, to be seen together, to speak of peace, suggested that neither side wanted the relationship to continue its downward spiral. For BRICS, the implications were equally uncertain. Whether the bloc could actually function as a unified voice on Middle East peace, or whether it would fragment along the same lines that divide its members on other global issues, remained to be seen.