Chinese President in India after seven-year gap; to hold meeting with Modi in evening

NEW DELHI: Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in India to attend the BRICS Summit. He was received by Minister of State for External Affairs Jitin Prasada. Xi is visiting India after a gap of seven years. Xi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a crucial meeting Saturday evening at 5:45 pm.

The 18th BRICS Summit, a grouping of developing countries, will begin at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi today. The main programme today is a closed-door discussion at 2 pm on the theme ‘Inclusive Global Governance and Empowered Multilateralism’. BRICS leaders will gather at the Level 2 auditorium of Bharat Mandapam for a group photo. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host a dinner for the leaders at the Level 3 auditorium of Bharat Mandapam at 7:30 pm.

The leaders will plant saplings as a BRICS commemorative activity. The programmes will begin at 9:55 am on the concluding day tomorrow. The main focus will be discussions as part of the BRICS agenda, based on resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability. The summit will conclude with the much-anticipated BRICS Declaration.

Russian President Vladimir Putin had already arrived in India yesterday for a three-day visit. Along with attending the BRICS Summit, his visit includes discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on issues such as bilateral trade, investment and energy cooperation.