Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in New Delhi on Saturday to attend the 18th BRICS Summit, which is being hosted under India's 2026 BRICS chairship. He was received at the airport by Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada, and a cultural troupe from the North East and other Indian states put up classical dance performances to welcome him.

Xi's delegation includes Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the General Office, and Wang Yi, Chinese foreign minister and a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, according to Chinese Ambassador to India Xu Feihong, who announced Xi's departure on X.

Bilateral meeting expected

The Chinese President is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi later today. The bilateral meeting is set to take place on the sidelines of the summit. Chinese Ambassador Xu Feihong said on X that Xi's entourage includes Cai Qi and Wang Yi, as announced ahead of the visit. China's Foreign Ministry announced Xi's participation on Thursday.

Focus on Global South cooperation

According to a Xinhua report, Xi is expected to advance proposals on Global South cooperation at the BRICS summit, much as he did during the SCO Summit in Bishkek. The report stated that both BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) have expanded their membership and networks of developing partners.

The editorial noted that this year marks the 25th founding anniversary of the SCO and the 20th anniversary of the BRICS cooperation mechanism. Over the years, both groupings have expanded their membership and networks of developing partners.

Xi has backed the expansion of both groupings and introduced initiatives including the "BRICS Plus" cooperation approach and the concept of building an SCO community with a shared future. At the SCO summit, Xi called for stronger cooperation among countries of the Global South.

The Chinese president said the SCO "takes root in the Global South, its heart beats with the Global South, and it is an important pillar of South-South cooperation," while noting that BRICS was "standing at the forefront of the Global South."