Why Xi Jinping Skipped BRICS Gala Dinner Hosted by PM Modi at Bharat Mandapam | Today’s news
Chinese President Xi Jinping skipped a gala dinner hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for leaders of BRICS countries, other BRICS summit participants and international organizations on Saturday, sources with knowledge of the matter said.
Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, who went home after attending the BRICS summit during the day, was also a notable absentee from the high dinner table.
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The reason for the Chinese president’s absence was not immediately known, but people in the know suggested that Xi had returned to his hotel to rest.
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The reason for Xi Jinping’s absence from the gala dinner is not explicitly known, but sources suggest he has returned to his hotel to rest.
The gala dinner featured an elaborate vegetarian menu including starters like Khandvi Mille and Khumb Galouti, main courses like Paneer Lababdar and Gucchi Marmik and desserts like Old Delhi Fruit Cream with Jalebi.
Notable attendees included Russian President Vladimir Putin, various Union ministers and chief ministers from several Indian states, but Xi Jinping and Sheikh Khaled bin Mohammed were absent.
Xi’s visit marked his first trip to India in seven years, seen as a step towards normalizing India-China relations following the post-2020 tensions over eastern Ladakh.
During the bilateral talks, Prime Minister Modi and Xi Jinping focused on normalizing relations by expanding trade and investment while stressing the need for mutual respect and strategic cooperation.
Jinping, who arrived here on Saturday, flew back to China.
The gala dinner at the Bharat Mandapam featured an elaborate vegetarian menu. All meals served on site are always vegetarian.
The starters were ‘Khandvi mille’, feuille steamed gram flour roll, and ‘khumb galouti’, pan-grilled mushroom kebabs with mint pearls. The main course offered ‘paneer lababdar’, ‘gucchi marmik’ – Himalayan morel mushrooms and delicate asparagus – and ‘carrot bean poriyal’.
Other items on the menu included ‘thakkali belle saaru’ – light lentil broth, millet pulao, beetroot raita and various Indian breads.
As for desserts, “Old Delhi Fruit Cream with Jalebi” and “shahtoot phirni” concluded the menu for the VVIP guests.
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The gala dinner was served accompanied by a performance by an ensemble of more than 100 artists, mostly from India and other BRICS member countries.
The Chinese president arrived in New Delhi on Saturday afternoon and attended BRICS summitapart from a bilateral meeting with Modi.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and other BRICS leaders attended the dinner. Union Ministers and Chief Ministers of several states were also present on the occasion.
Union ministers who attended the dinner included Amit Shah, Nirmala Sitharaman, Piyush Goyal, Ashwini Vaishnaw and Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Chief Ministers like Yogi Adityanath (Uttar Pradesh), Devendra Fadnavis (Maharashtra), Suvendu Adhikari (West Bengal) and Himanta Biswa Sarma (Assam) also attended the dinner.
The Union Ministers and Chief Ministers traveled in two buses from the Parliament House to the dinner venue at the Bharat Mandapam.
India hosted the BRICS Summit on September 12-13 and it is attended by representatives of 11 member countries and 10 partner countries, besides some international organizations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday for bilateral talks aimed at normalizing relations by expanding trade and investment.
The meeting came hours after Xi arrived in the national capital for a two-day visit to attend the BRICS summit, his first trip to India in seven years.
The meeting signaled that the world’s two most populous countries are making cautious efforts to make their bilateral relations more stable, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Jinping emphasizing the need for a long-term strategic approach to linkages.
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They reaffirmed that both countries should take a strategic and long-term perspective on their ties. Differences should not become disputes. The Prime Minister emphasized that both sides must follow three mutual relations – mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interest,” she said of the MEA meeting.
The visit marks Xi’s first trip to India in seven years, a move expected to boost the overall trajectory of bilateral relations.
Xi last visited India in 2019 for an informal summit withPrime Minister Narendra Modi in Mamallapuram near Chennai. The last meeting between the two leaders took place on August 31, 2025, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China.
