NEW DELHI — China is likely to send an official delegation to India’s upcoming AI summit in the national capital, a move seen as a fresh indication that relations between the two neighbors are gradually improving after years of strain.
According to reports, the delegation is expected to be led by a vice minister from China’s Ministry of Science and Technology. Discussions around participation are said to be underway, with the Indian embassy in Beijing having reached out to facilitate visas for the Chinese representatives.
The development marks the first public confirmation that China will attend the AI Impact Summit, scheduled to be held in New Delhi from February 16 to 20. In late December, Chinese state media had cited Indian reports indicating that New Delhi had formally invited Beijing to take part in the event.
There has been no official confirmation so far from either the Indian embassy or China’s Ministry of Science and Technology.
The expected participation of Chinese officials and businesses comes at a time when ties between the two countries appear to be stabilizing after several years of tension. Relations had deteriorated sharply following a deadly border clash in 2020, after which India banned dozens of Chinese mobile applications, including TikTok, citing national security concerns.
Diplomatic engagement began to ease last year after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Tianjin in August. The two leaders were later seen together with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a widely shared video, a moment viewed as signaling a potential thaw in relations.
Since then, steps such as the resumption of direct flights and the issuance of tourist visas have pointed to a gradual normalization of ties.
China has increasingly used multilateral platforms such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to expand its role in global artificial intelligence development. The New Delhi summit is also expected to attract several prominent international figures, including Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei.
The summit’s schedule overlaps with China’s Lunar New Year holiday, the country’s largest annual festival, adding another layer of significance to Beijing’s expected participation. (Source: IANS)
