The absence of Chinese President Xi Jinping from the BRICS leaders\u2019\ndinner in New Delhi, India, has suddenly come under scrutiny. Although\nXi had previously attended a series of summits and met with Indian Prime\nMinister Narendra Modi, his seat remained empty during one of the\nmeeting\u2019s primary social events on Saturday night, 12 September\n2026.<\/p>\n
The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday, 19 September 2026,\nciting sources familiar with the matter, that Xi cancelled his\nattendance at the last minute due to feeling unwell. Chinese Foreign\nMinister Wang Yi subsequently attended the banquet in his stead, joining\nother world leaders.<\/p>\n
However, so far, there has been no official statement from the\nChinese government explaining any specific illness. Furthermore, there\nis no credible evidence to support social media rumours suggesting that\nthe 73-year-old leader suffered a stroke or fainted while in India.<\/p>\n
The Indian government has even denied such rumours. The Indian\nExpress reported on Thursday, 17 September 202cap, that a fact-checking\nunit from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs identified social\nmedia claims regarding Xi and several other leaders falling ill after\nthe BRICS summit as false and misleading information. The Ministry urged\nthe public to be cautious of posts it described as \u201cmalicious.\u201d<\/p>\n
Consequently, two distinct points must be distinguished. The Wall\nStreet Journal reported, based on sources familiar with the matter, that\nXi did not attend the banquet because he was feeling unwell. However,\nmore extreme claims that he fainted, suffered a stroke, or required\nserious medical treatment remain unconfirmed and have been refuted by\nthe Indian government as part of the rumours circulating on social\nmedia.<\/p>\n
Returning to the Hotel to Rest<\/p>\n
Xi\u2019s absence had drawn attention since the day after the banquet took\nplace. The Times of India, on Sunday, 13 September 2026, quoting the\nPress Trust of India (PTI), reported that Xi did not attend the gala\ndinner hosted by Modi at Bharat Mandapam. One PTI source stated that Xi\nhad returned to his hotel to rest. The specific reason for his absence\nat that time remained unknown.<\/p>\n
India Today also reported on Sunday, 13 September 2026, that Xi\u2019s\nabsence was quite noticeable as most BRICS leaders and senior Indian\nofficials attended the banquet. The outlet also cited sources stating\nthat Xi had returned to his hotel to rest.<\/p>\n
The absence gained further attention because Xi had previously\naccepted Modi\u2019s invitation, and his diplomatic activities earlier that\nday had proceeded as normal.<\/p>\n
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in an official statement on\nSaturday, 12 September 2026, confirmed that Xi arrived in New Delhi\nduring the day to attend the 18th BRICS Summit. He arrived alongside\nseveral senior officials, including Wang Yi and Cai Qi.<\/p>\n
On the same day, the Indian Prime Minister\u2019s Office also announced\nthat Modi and Xi had held a bilateral meeting. The two leaders discussed\nIndia-China relations, border issues, trade, supply chains, and\ncooperation on various regional and global issues.<\/p>\n
Reuters also reported on Sunday, 13 September 2026, that Xi was\nactive during the summit, promoting increased BRICS economic\ncooperation, including ideas regarding artificial intelligence, trade,\nand finance.<\/p>\n
Therefore, what is known for certain is that Xi participated in the\nofficial summit agenda and conducted bilateral meetings, but did not\nattend the gala dinner that evening.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/why-xi-jinping-missed-the-brics-banquet-1789800757", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }