Xi landed in Delhi on Saturday afternoon after flying out from China that same morning. He went straight into the summit meetings that started around 2 pm. Later he had a proper bilateral talk with Modi on the side. By the evening, when Modi put up the big formal dinner at Bharat Mandapam for all the BRICS leaders and other guests, Xi wasn’t there.
Most of the other leaders showed up. Putin was there. Indian ministers like Amit Shah, Nirmala Sitharaman, Piyush Goyal, Ashwini Vaishnaw and Shivraj Singh Chouhan were present. Om Birla came too, and a few chief ministers – Yogi Adityanath, Devendra Fadnavis, Himanta Biswa Sarma and others.
Neither side put out any official statement about why Xi skipped it. People who know the details told PTI and the usual channels that he just went back to his hotel to rest. The word was he was tired. Long flight, time difference, full day of meetings and then the talk with Modi – it all added up.
Something small but noticeable happened earlier during the day. While Modi was giving his opening speech, he suddenly stopped, looked at Xi and asked if he was okay. You could see Xi looking a bit off for a second. There was a quick exchange with the translator, Xi nodded, and Modi continued. Once people heard Xi missed the dinner, that moment started getting talked about more. Still, the people close to the schedule kept saying the dinner absence was simply about rest, nothing more.
The Abu Dhabi Crown Prince also missed the dinner, but that was expected – he left for home right after the daytime sessions. Xi’s absence was the one that stood out.
The dinner itself was all vegetarian, lots of Indian dishes. Things like khandvi, mushroom kebabs, paneer lababdar, morel mushrooms, millet pulao, and then desserts with jalebi and phirni. Some folks online immediately said maybe Xi didn’t like the veg menu. People who actually knew the arrangements said that’s not it at all. It was just fatigue after the travel and the long day. China still had their foreign minister Wang Yi representing them at the dinner.
Earlier that day, when Modi and Xi met, they talked about the usual India-China issues. Both sides said differences shouldn’t turn into disputes and that they need to look at the relationship with a longer view. Border, trade, economic ties – all of that came up. This was Xi’s first visit to India in seven years. Last time was the informal summit in Mamallapuram back in 2019.
Xi didn’t stay long overall. He finished the summit work and left after the two days were done. Missing the dinner didn’t stop the official talks or the joint declaration from going through.
In the end, the simplest explanation is the one that keeps coming from people who were actually in the know. Long flight, packed schedule, and he chose to rest instead of sitting through the evening function. These things happen. Leaders fly in, go from one meeting to the next, and sometimes they just need to step back so they can manage the next day. That’s pretty much what took place on the opening day of the BRICS Summit in Delhi.
Sources:
Times of India, Indian Express, Deccan Herald, NDTV, News18, Hindustan Times, LiveMint, Firstpost, India Today (reports citing PTI and sources familiar with the matter, published 13 September 2026).
@Rohit Manral