What happened during Xi Jinping's Delhi visit? PM Modi speech pause, dinner absence and key deals
New Delhi: Chinese President Xi Jinping concluded his two-day visit to New Delhi on Sunday after attending the BRICS summit and holding bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Marking his first visit to India in nearly seven years, Xi arrived on Saturday accompanied by a large delegation of officials and business executives.
‘Is it ok?’ Viral moment during summit speech
During the opening address of the summit, an unexpected moment caught public attention when Prime Minister Narendra Modi briefly paused his speech after noticing Chinese President Xi Jinping showing signs of physical discomfort. Observing that President Xi appeared uneasy, PM Modi turned to Xi's interpreter and asked, “Is it okay?” When he did not receive an immediate response, the Prime Minister repeated the query. President Xi then nodded to indicate he was fine, allowing PM Modi to resume his address. Video footage of the interaction has since been widely shared across social media platforms.
Skipping dinner hosted by Modi
Sources familiar with the matter of Chinese Premier Xi's absence from the official dinner hosted by PM Modi on Saturday evening attributed the absence to physical fatigue and jet lag following a long-distance flight and a heavy schedule of diplomatic engagements on Saturday.
Xi, along with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, did not attend the event. While, other international delegates, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, attended the dinner alongside Indian Union ministers and state chief ministers.
Xi calls for global south cooperation
During the summit's concluding session on Sunday, Xi proposed a five-point initiative aimed at enhancing trade, manufacturing, investment and technology cooperation. He urged BRICS nations to leverage ties with emerging markets and the Global South to safeguard global supply chains and establish an integrated market, emphasising that the philosophy of “might makes right” should have been discarded long ago.
Modi and Xi reaffirm bilateral ties
The bilateral discussions between PM Modi and President Xi on Saturday focused on addressing the trade deficit, counter-terrorism efforts and maintaining fair trade within multilateral frameworks.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), both leaders agreed to approach bilateral relations and differences from a long-term strategic perspective. PM Modi emphasised that bilateral ties must be guided by “three mutuals” – mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interest.
On the economic front, both sides highlighted the need to address structural trade imbalances and establish predictable market access. The leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to achieving a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable resolution to the boundary issue.
Relations between the two nations have seen steady diplomatic engagement following the October 2024 meeting between PM Modi and President Xi in Kazan, Russia, which laid the groundwork for repairing ties after the eastern Ladakh military standoff.
(With PTI inputs)