Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in New Delhi on Saturday to attend the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit, with his expected meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi emerging as one of the key highlights of the two-day gathering.
Xi arrived in the national capital for his first visit to New Delhi in 12 years. His last visit to the city was in September 2014, while his most recent trip to India was in 2019, when he met Modi in Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu, for the second informal India-China summit.
Union Minister of State Jitin Prasada received Xi at the airport. The Chinese president was accompanied by senior officials including Cai Qi, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China and director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
The Modi-Xi meeting is being closely watched as both countries seek to strengthen communication and manage differences. Ahead of the expected talks, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Beijing would work with New Delhi to handle bilateral differences properly, improve communication and expand cooperation.
The BRICS summit has brought together leaders and senior representatives from several member and partner countries. The summit is being held in New Delhi on September 12 and 13 under the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.”
Prime Minister Modi has already held several bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit. He met Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali and discussed economic cooperation, defence and security partnership, capacity building and regional and international developments. Modi also met Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs issued a clarification after reports claimed that breakfast had been served to world leaders at the summit venue. The ministry’s fact-check unit rejected the claim, saying the visuals being circulated were actually from the International Media Centre at Bharat Mandapam.
Several traffic restrictions are also in place in parts of central Delhi during the summit. Authorities have advised motorists to avoid restricted routes and use public transport where possible.
With Xi now in Delhi, attention is firmly focused on the expected Modi-Xi talks and whether the meeting can provide fresh momentum to India-China relations.
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