Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (left) meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) as part of the 25th State Council Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on August 31, 2025 in Tianjin, China.
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BEIJING – China plans to send a delegation to India’s upcoming AI summit in the latest sign of improving relations between the two neighbors, CNBC reported.
George Chen, partner and co-chair of the digital practice at consultancy Asia Group, said the delegation will be led by a vice-minister of China’s Ministry of Science and Technology, citing conversations with government officials. He added that the Indian embassy in Beijing has contacted China to arrange visas.
The Asia Group frequently works with Chinese policymakers on AI regulation.
This is the first time that China has been officially confirmed to be attending the event in New Delhi, scheduled for February 16-20. In late December, Chinese state media reported, citing Indian media, that New Delhi had formally invited the Chinese government to attend the AI Impact Summit.
Representatives from the Indian embassy, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and China’s Ministry of Science and Technology did not respond to requests for comment. The Ministry of Science has four deputy ministers.
The visit, which is expected to involve Chinese companies, comes as relations between China and India appear to be improving after several tumultuous years.
India had banned dozens of Chinese mobile apps, including TikTok, citing security concerns following deadly border skirmishes between the two countries in 2020.
Tensions between the two countries began to ease last year with the resumption of direct flights and tourist visas after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Tianjin in August.
Mr Modi also posed with Mr Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the summit, and a widely shared video of the three laughing together was shared.
China has used the SCO and other events as platforms to increase its government’s influence in AI development around the world.
Several American business leaders, including Bill Gates and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, are scheduled to attend an AI summit in India this month. The date coincides with the Lunar New Year Festival, China’s biggest holiday of the year.
