BRICS Summit: Chinese President skips dinner hosted by Modi, returns to hotel

NEW DELHI: Chinese President Xi Jinping did not attend the dinner hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the heads of state as part of the 18th BRICS Summit. UAE Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan also did not attend the dinner held at Bharat Mandapam in Delhi on Saturday night.

Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed had already informed to return to the UAE after the BRICS Summit. However, neither China nor India has so far commented on Xi Jinping's absence from the dinner. Although the exact reason for the Chinese President's absence is unclear, reports say that he returned to his hotel to rest due to fatigue from travelling and attending discussions.

Xi Jinping left China on Saturday morning and arrived in Delhi around noon. Reports said that he therefore did not have enough time to rest. Along with attending the BRICS Summit, he also held a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Meantime, leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin attended the dinner. Union Ministers Amit Shah, Nirmala Sitharaman, Piyush Goyal, Ashwini Vaishnaw and Shivraj Singh Chouhan, along with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and chief ministers from various states, also attended the dinner.

The 18th BRICS Summit will conclude today. The summit is expected to end with important decisions aimed at strengthening economic cooperation among member countries, transactions in local currencies and technology transfers. The declaration includes several significant outcomes for India, ranging from strong positions against cross-border terrorism to new cooperation mechanisms in areas such as digital public infrastructure, healthcare and finance.