In a sign of improving ties between India and China, despite lingering differences along the border, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was seen welcoming Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on Saturday, the venue where the 18th BRICS Summit is being held.
The two leaders were seen holding hands, as they arrived at the venue. Later, they exchanged handshakes and posed for photographs, with PM Modi and the Chinese leader exchanging a few words before heading into the summit.
Xi's arrival is being closely watched by regional observers and experts, as this is visit India visit in roughly seven years. Xi, who was welcomed by Union MoS Jitin Prasada at the Delhi airport upon his arrival earlier in the day, will also hold a bilateral with the Prime Minister during his two-day visit.
"Warm welcome to President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China on his arrival in New Delhi to attend the 18th BRICS Summit," said Ministry of External (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal in a post on X (formerly Twitter). "We look forward to constructive discussions as BRICS continues to advance cooperation and contribute to a more balanced, representative and multipolar world."
China's message ahead of Modi-Xi meet
The overall situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and ways to normalise bilateral relations, apart from expanding the trade ties, are likely to be reviewed during PM Modi's meet with Xi later in the day. The relationship had plunged to a new low after the Galwan Valley clash in 2020, even as the two sides have regularly engaged in talks to resolve the differences.
Notably, this will be the second meeting between Xi and PM Modi in around a year, and the two leaders had previously met on August 31 in 2025 on sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in China's Tianjin.
Before Saturday's meet, China has called for managing differences and said it values resolving differences properly via dialogue.
"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," Chinese Ambassador to India Xu Feihong said on Friday.
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