Chinese President Xi Jinping does not attend a BRICS leaders’ gala dinner hosted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on the first day of the BRICS summit. Multiple outlets describe his absence as notable given his presence in India for summit-related engagement.
All three reports link the skip to the timing of Xi’s visit and activities around the meetings. NDTV and India Today both frame the decision in connection with Xi’s talks with Indian counterparts that occur earlier that day, after which he does not join the gala. The Times of India similarly highlights that Xi skips the dinner and underscores the broader context of his visit to India for the summit.
NDTV adds additional context, stating that Xi is in India for the first time in seven years and that he chooses not to attend Modi’s gala dinner on day one. While the outlets differ slightly in emphasis—some focusing on the sequence after talks and others on the significance of the seven-year gap—they all agree on the key point: Xi is present in India for BRICS engagements but skips the Modi-hosted gala dinner.
