Xi leaves Beijing for 18th BRICS Summit in India
Beijing: Chinese President Xi Jinping left Beijing on Saturday for the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Xi’s entourage includes Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, and Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Chinese foreign minister, Xinhua news agency reported.
Prime Minister Modi and Xi are also expected to hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the summit.
Xi’s visit comes as India and China continue efforts to stabilise their bilateral relationship following the deadly Galwan clashes of 2020. India has repeatedly underlined the importance of maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas as a key prerequisite for the continued development and progress of bilateral ties.
PM Modi and Xi had a brief interaction during the recent Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit held in Bishkek. The two leaders are now expected to hold detailed bilateral discussions on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi this weekend.
Meanwhile, Chinese Ambassador to India Xu Feihong said Beijing and New Delhi are making arrangements for the bilateral meeting between Xi and PM Modi, and indicated that China would work with India to implement the strategic guidance provided by the two leaders.
“China and India are arranging for the bilateral meeting between President Xi and Prime Minister Modi. This will be the third year in a row for the two leaders to meet with each other, following their meetings in Kazan (Russia) and Tianjin (China),” Ambassador Feihong said on Friday on social media platform X.
“China will work with India to act on the strategic guidance of the two leaders, handle the bilateral relations from a strategic height and long-term perspective, step up communication, enhance cooperation, properly handle differences, and be friends enjoying good-neighbourliness and partners helping each other succeed,” the Chinese envoy added.