BRICS Summit: Xi Jinping begins two-day India visit after seven years
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in New Delhi on Saturday for a two-day visit to attend the BRICS Summit, marking his first trip to India in seven years and opening a fresh opportunity for both countries to work towards improving bilateral ties.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to host Xi for bilateral discussions at 6 pm on Saturday. The two leaders are expected to review the overall state of India-China relations and discuss measures to expand trade, investment and wider economic engagement.
Xi was welcomed at Delhi airport by Union Minister Jitin Prasada, while cultural performers presented traditional dances during the reception. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal welcomed the Chinese president, saying India looked forward to “constructive discussions” as BRICS works towards a more balanced, representative and multipolar global order.
The Chinese delegation includes Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China’s Central Committee, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
Xi’s visit comes after a series of high-level diplomatic exchanges aimed at rebuilding ties strained by the prolonged military standoff in eastern Ladakh. Both sides have introduced several confidence-building measures in recent months to ease tensions and restore engagement.
During their meeting, Modi and Xi are likely to discuss the situation along the Line of Actual Control and explore additional steps to maintain peace and stability along the border. Expanding bilateral trade and investment is also expected to feature prominently in the talks.
The visit follows the leaders’ meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin on August 31 last year.
National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Wang Yi, who serve as the designated Special Representatives for the India-China boundary dialogue, held talks in Beijing late last month. Their discussions focused on the boundary question, frontier delimitation, trans-boundary cooperation and maintaining peace along the LAC.
The Special Representatives’ mechanism was established in 2003 to address the India-China boundary dispute, which covers a 3,488-kilometre frontier.
Chinese Ambassador to India Xu Feihong said Beijing was prepared to work with New Delhi to follow the strategic direction set by the two leaders, improve communication, strengthen cooperation, manage differences appropriately and promote stable, friendly relations.
with inputs from PTI