"At the invitation of Prime Minister of the Republic of India Narendra Modi, President Xi Jinping will attend the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi from September 12 to 13," China's foreign ministry statement read.
Bilateral ties between the two nations have improved in recent years, especially since PM Narendra Modi visited China last year and as both nations grapple with volatile relationships with the US.
New Delhi has since then eased some of the restrictions on Chinese investment that it imposed following the 2020 clashes, focusing on electronics, capital goods, and solar cell sectors.
This brings an end to the suspense created on the eve of the 18th BRICS Summit hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The high-stakes visit marks Xi's first visit to India in seven years, following a chill in bilateral relations after the 2020 Galwan Valley border clashes that killed 20 Indians and an unknown number of Chinese soldiers.
The last time Xi visited India was in 2019 for an informal summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Mamallapuram near Chennai.
Now, it is final and official; Chinese President Xi Jinping will be visiting India to attend the much talked about BRICS summit at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. In 2023, Xi had stayed away from the G-20 Summit even as Joe Biden had attended the same. Russian president Vladimir Putin, who will attend the BRICS meet of Govt and nation heads, too did not for G-20 Summit in 2023.
In a volatile global environment, the world expects India to leverage its home-field advantage. As Narendra Modi enters "BRICS time space -2026" -- the world will believe perhaps there would be some 'outcomes' out of the meeting.
New Delhi will have to promote practical cooperation in key areas and also maintain a development-first approach. The continued evolution of BRICS needs to be viewed in the context of a changing world.
An anchor for a forum like BRICS during these trying times must have emotional intelligence and behavioral sensitivity.
Earlier in the day, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jia-kun refused to provide any confirmation on Xi's visit to New Delhi.
"I have no information to provide regarding the question you raised," Guo Jiakun replied to a question on if the Chinese leader will be travelling to India this weekend to attend the BRICS leaders' meeting.
Xi had first come to India in September 2014 when it was the first terms of both the leaders in office and had later visited Goa in 2016 to attend the BRICS summit.
PM Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold bilateral talks on Friday, Sept 11 prior to the BRICS Summit.
No comments:
Post a Comment