Deals worth $20 billion, full membership in Shanghai Cooperation Organization, railway cooperation, enhanced trade opportunities and bilateral relations… Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to India promises to provide the necessary impetus to ties between the two nations.

Even though progress on the contentious border issue has been excruciatingly slow, New Delhi and Beijing have, going by the interactions between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Chinese president, at least shown the desire to resolve bilateral disputes at the earliest.

So, how should one interpret the new bonhomie between the two nations?

Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar, who served in the Indian Foreign Service for three decades and served as ambassador to Uzbekistan and Turkey, will appear on the Rediff Chat to discuss the import of Xi's visit and what it bodes for the two nations, for Asia, and for the world at large.

Join us for the chat on September 19 at 5 pm IST.

Owing to unforeseen circumstances, chat timings are subject to change.