New Delhi: Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in New Delhi on Saturday to attend the 18th BRICS Summit, beginning a two-day visit to India that will include a scheduled bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the evening, government sources said.
Arrival and official reception
Xi was received at the Delhi airport by Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada. Cultural artistes from the North‑East and other parts of India performed traditional dances as part of the welcome, officials reported.
“Warm welcome to President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China on his arrival in New Delhi to attend the 18th BRICS Summit,” the Ministry of External Affairs said on X.
The MEA said it looked forward to "constructive discussions as BRICS continues to advance co‑operation and contribute to a more balanced, representative and multipolar world," in the post.
Bilateral meeting and delegation
The Prime Minister and Xi are slated to meet at 6pm on Saturday, according to the schedule made public by officials. Xi is accompanied by senior Chinese leaders, including Cai Qi, a member of the Political Bureau Standing Committee and director of the General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau and the Chinese foreign minister.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Event | 18th BRICS Summit (two-day) |
| Arrival city | New Delhi |
| Reception | Jitin Prasada; traditional cultural performances |
| Bilateral meeting | PM Narendra Modi — Xi Jinping (scheduled 6pm, Saturday) |
| Key Chinese delegates | Cai Qi; Wang Yi |
Context — efforts to stabilise ties
The visit follows a series of high‑level exchanges aimed at rebuilding India‑China relations after the violent confrontation in the Galwan Valley in 2020 and the prolonged military stand‑off in eastern Ladakh that followed. New Delhi and Beijing have been engaged in a boundary dialogue intended to prevent escalation and seek progress on delimitation and confidence‑building measures.
National Security Adviser Ajit Doval conducted Special Representative talks with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing last month, officials noted. The discussions addressed the India‑China boundary question — including frontier delimitation, trans‑boundary co‑operation and maintaining peace along the Line of Actual Control. Both Doval and Wang serve as Special Representatives under the boundary talks mechanism established in 2003 to address the 3,488‑km dispute.
Mr Modi and Xi had also held extensive talks on August 31 last year on the margins of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin, underscoring continuing diplomatic engagement between the two leaders.
What officials say and what to expect
Government sources said the Delhi meetings will focus on BRICS agenda items as well as bilateral matters. The MEA statement indicated an expectation of "constructive discussions" and emphasised the grouping's role in advancing co‑operation and a multipolar global order.
- Xi's visit is the first to India in seven years, signalling renewed high‑level engagement.
- Scheduled Modi‑Xi talks will be closely watched for indications of progress on border management and economic ties.
- BRICS Summit provides a multilateral platform where bilateral and group priorities may intersect.
Security and protocol arrangements for the summit and the bilateral meetings are being handled by local and central agencies. Officials have not disclosed details of any outcome from the Modi‑Xi meeting ahead of the scheduled talks.
As the BRICS leaders convene in the national capital, the Modi government and the Union foreign ministry will seek to balance India’s multilateral commitments with the immediate need to manage a complex and sensitive relationship with its northern neighbour.
