Prime Minister Narendra Modi briefly halted his opening remarks at the 18th BRICS Summit on Saturday, September 12, after appearing to notice something concerning about Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The interruption lasted only a few moments. Modi looked towards Xi and sought clarification from the Chinese President's interpreter. Modi was heard asking, "is it okay?" When there was no immediate response, he repeated the question and waited briefly. Xi subsequently nodded in response, after which Modi resumed his speech and the proceedings continued normally, NDTV reported.
India Today, which reviewed the footage from Doordarshan, reported that the incident occurred roughly between the 4:40 and 5:11 minute mark of the Prime Minister's opening remarks. The footage showed Modi turning towards Xi after noticing the Chinese president appearing uncomfortable.
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The brief exchange between the two leaders attracted attention online as it came at a time when India-China relations are undergoing a cautious improvement following years of tensions, particularly after the 2020 border crisis. India Today described the exchange as one of visible camaraderie between Modi and Xi.
Modi and Xi also held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit on Saturday. The Indian Government's readout stated that the two leaders reviewed the state of bilateral relations and discussed ways to take the diplomatic relationship between the two countries forward, NDTV reported.
In a statement issued after the meeting, the Ministry of External Affairs stated that both leaders agreed on the need to approach relations from a long-term strategic perspective.
"The two leaders welcomed the steady progress in India-China bilateral relations since their last meeting in Tianjin in August 2025. They reaffirmed that both countries should take a strategic and long-term perspective of their ties. Differences should not become disputes. The Prime Minister highlighted that both sides must be guided by three mutuals- mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interest," MEA said in a statement as cited by NDTV.
During the discussions, PM Modi emphasised that stability along the border remains central to the future of India-China relations.
"He underlined the need for both sides to observe existing agreements and understandings on border-related issues. The two leaders expressed commitment to a fair, reasonable, and mutually acceptable resolution of the boundary question proceeding from the political perspective of their overall bilateral relations and the long-term interests of the two peoples," the MEA statement added.
Later on Saturday, the Chinese President did not attend a gala dinner hosted by Modi for the BRICS leaders. After participating in the summit proceedings, Xi skipped a dinner hosted by PM Modi, with people familiar with the matter saying the Chinese President was tired following his long journey and a packed schedule, NDTV reported.
More importantly, Xi continued with his summit schedule despite skipping the dinner. Reports stated that he attended the summit, participated in a tree-planting event and visited the Bharat Innovates Exposition.
The 18th BRICS Summit being held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, brings together leaders of 11 BRICS member countries, along with 10 partner countries and representatives of international organisations. The 2026 summit is being held under India's BRICS chairship and has the theme of "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability."
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